Castilian School. Circa 1600. “Ecce Homo” Carved and polychrome wood sculpture. 124 x 70 x 40 cm. This seated Ecce Homo of remarkable sculptural quality is a work that immediately recalls the tradition of the Christ on the Cold Stone images of Hispano-Flemish origin that spread throughout Castile at the end of the fifteenth century. Despite its dimensions and the emotional intensity of the iconography, this is not an image conceived for processional use, but rather a devotional sculpture intended for an altarpiece or chapel, a circumstance confirmed by the fact that the back remains uncarved. Christ is depicted seated upon a footstool with three steps, an arrangement that allows the feet to rest at different heights and thus generate a subtle compositional dynamism within a scene marked by notable restraint. The figure adopts a closed and compact composition, with scarcely any elements projecting beyond the sculptural block, thereby reinforcing Christ’s introspective character. His arms, crossed at chest level, are bound with a rope. While the right hand gathers part of the ample cloak that almost completely envelops His body, the position of the fingers of the left hand suggests that He originally held the reed alluding to the mocking proclamation of Him as the “King of the Jews,” a reference further reinforced by both the Crown of Thorns and the cloak itself. The draperies, resolved through broad, dense, and heavy folds of pronounced sculptural volume, confirm that we are before a work belonging to Romanist Mannerism. The head performs a double turn — downward and to the right — directing its supplicating gaze toward the viewer who approaches to pray before the image, thus establishing an intense devotional connection. Despite the painful moment represented, Christ’s face is not dramatic, but instead conveys a restrained yet severe expression: it transmits resignation, but also serenity and dignity. The Crown of Thorns, carved from the same block, is formed by thick and twisted branches. It tightly encircles the forehead, causing streams of blood to run down the face. Although the polychromy is not especially sanguinary, traces of blood can also be seen upon the torso and legs. The hair is composed of thick serpentine locks displaying a certain geometrization. The face, elongated and with sharp features, presents open eyes painted directly onto the wood, while the eyelids and under-eye bags are modeled with remarkable naturalism. The nose has the shape of an isosceles triangle, straight and elongated, with strongly defined nostrils. The mouth, with fleshy closed lips, contributes to reinforcing the restrained expression of the image. The large moustache and beard, executed through symmetrical curling locks, reveal notable technical virtuosity while also evidencing their Romanist affiliation. Given the stylistic features present in the work, there can be little doubt that we are before an excellent example of Castilian Romanism executed around the year 1600. Romanist Mannerism, or simply Romanism, was a tendency within Mannerism that developed during the last third of the sixteenth century, its name referring to the decisive influence of the forms and models of Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564) and the Roman Mannerist circles formed in his wake. Its introduction into Spain took place through the high altarpiece of Astorga Cathedral (1558–1562) thanks to Gaspar Becerra (1520–1568). Romanist sculpture is characterized by its sense of monumentality and timelessness, as well as by figures with vigorous and corpulent anatomies adopting grandiloquent poses. In this work, although many of these features are still clearly perceptible, certain naturalistic echoes may also be discerned, softening the grandiloquence characteristic of Romanism. We would like to thank Javier Baladrón, doctor in History of Art, for cataloguing this piece. Foto ©️ Joan Tomás