Italian school; XVI century.

Italian school; XVI century.
"Ecce Homo".
Oil on vellum.
Presents frame in gilded brass and bone.
Measurements: 9,5 x 7,5 x 2 cm.
Reliquary that has a devotional work in which the theme of Ecce Homo is represented, very common in this type of paintings. Of simple and clear composition, with the face of Christ in the foreground, the prominence of the face of Christ deepens in the expressive power and the pathos, thought to move the spirit of the faithful that prays before the image, within a tremendist sense very typical of the baroque in the catholic countries, although it is true that in this small image the veiled presence of more characters that contribute a great narrative to the scene can be appreciated. The theme of Ecce Homo belongs to the cycle of the Passion, and precedes the episode of the Crucifixion. Following this iconography, Jesus is presented at the moment when the soldiers mock him, after crowning him with thorns, dressing him in a purple tunic (here red, symbolic color of the Passion) and placing a reed in his hand, kneeling and exclaiming "Hail, King of the Jews!". The words "Ecce Homo" are those pronounced by Pilate when presenting Christ before the crowd; their translation is "behold the man", a phrase by which he mocks Jesus and implies that the power of Christ was not such in front of that of the leaders who were judging him there.
This type of reliquary was very common from the Gothic period, used to contain relics of the saints. It should be remembered, however, that at that time practically any element that had been in contact with the saint or his mortal remains (cloths, burial soil, etc.) was considered a sacred relic. The best examples were made of precious metals.