Circle of Michel Coxcie (Mechelen, Belgium, 1499–1592) "Jesus carrying the cross on the way to Calvary" Oil on panel. 69,5 x 53 cm. It presents a document on the reverse bearing a handwritten text in courtly Gothic script and sealed with double wax, which we reproduce below: "[...] quando más menester / sean, e desta presente vida partieren; e por esta carta d[oy a] / dichos mis albaçeas, a anbos a dos, juntamente, e a cada vno / dellos por sý, yn solidum, para que ellos por sý mismos e /por su propia abtoridad, e syn licencia e syn mandado de / alcalde nin de nin de juez nin de otra persona alguna, e syn [...] / [...] e syn juicio e syn pena e syn calumnya alguna; e / sy pena o calumnya ý ouiere, que toda sea e corra / contra los dichos mis bienes, e non contra ellos nin contra algo / suyo; e puedan entrar e entren a tomar e vender e rematar, e / entren e tomen e vendan e rematen a tanto quanto [...]" The text corresponds to the final clauses of a will. These are formal phrases that were customarily included. In this case, they state that any expenses incurred should be charged to the testator’s estate and not to the executors he appointed, while also granting them authority to distribute his goods freely. From the handwriting and certain stylistic traits, we deduce that it dates from the mid-fifteenth century. The symbol “[...]” marks sections that are either cut off or illegible. Passion and devotion are the words that best define this meticulous and highly accomplished work, fully within the Spanish Renaissance tradition. A devotional panel that may well have formed part of a larger altarpiece depicting scenes from the Via Dolorosa (given its dimensions), possibly painted by its author for a chapel or private oratory, or perhaps as a standalone work created for the divine contemplation of a devout bourgeois collector. The artist stands out for his pictorial virtuosity, technical mastery, the meticulous execution of every brushstroke, and the emotional power achieved through the deep black background contrasted with the illuminated, sculptural central figure, which the painter brings close to us as viewers. A clear Flemish influence can be observed when compared to “Jesus Carrying the Cross” by Michiel Coxcie (Malines, Belgium, 1499–1592), painted between 1545 and 1555 on panel. With a greater or smaller number of figures, both our painting and Coxcie’s share a similarly serene expression, the same downward gaze, the embrace of the cross, and the use of light (muted in our work due to aged varnish, though clearly visible in the infrared study we present), reinforcing the pathos of the scene (dark background, as in ours). Coxcie, like our artist, positions Christ’s face strategically at the centre of the composition, highlighting it with strong illumination (in Coxcie’s version clothed in dark tones, in ours in golden ochre). The importance of this painting led us to conduct an in-depth study with specialists, including infrared imaging and analysis by historian and photography expert Pascual Mercé. Among its conclusions, we highlight the following: - Shading and drawing lines likely applied with a brush on the eyelids and eyes. - The drawing lines defining the waves of the hair are visible. - Silhouetted on the fingers. - Great delicacy in the hair strokes, visible beneath the varnish. - Drawing lines delineate the hair’s undulations. - Strokes and lines define the moustache. - The entire image shows shading executed with great skill. - Details in the area of the crown of thorns display outlining that reinforces the high-quality painting. - Lights and shadows are modelled with great precision. - The little finger appears almost sketched, revealing the cross beneath. - Silhouetted and shading — remarkable mastery is evident, particularly in the right hand. - The mantle presents: Modelling of light and shadow, silhouetting and a shadow on it that is barely visible to the naked eye. - Possible inscription? All the darkened varnish that obscures the painting disappears under infrared. And then, the perfection appears revealing what we cannot perceive as it stands: the crown of thorns in its full, regal form with all its veins and details; the clarity of folds and volutes in the garments; the atmospheric air surrounding everything; the play of light and shadow on face and hands accentuating veins, muscles, and skin; and, above all, the discovery of a monogram hidden within one of the branches of the sacred crown, behind the right ear (as viewed). It appears to be signed with an M… or possibly Fir…, an extraordinary finding that makes this an “exceptional and signed?” work. A great work in which the sensitivity of a remarkable artist prevails without indulging in excess drama. A piece of profound devotional success, of which copies were made—reducing the composition to the single figure of Christ embracing the cross against a darker background—of great beauty and exceptional quality.