Workshop Of Luis De Morales (1509-1586), Christ Of The Reed.

Workshop of Luis de Morales (Badajoz, 1509 - Alcántara, 1586). "Ecce Homo," circa 1570. Oil on panel. Provenance: Private collection, Barcelona. Panel dimensions: 68 x 50 cm. Luis de Morales, nicknamed "El Divino" during his lifetime, established a prolific painting workshop commissioned by the Spanish nobility of the 16th century. His models, predetermined and fixed in masterful compositions, particularly those found in the Prado Museum, were subject to numerous variations by his workshop to satisfy the growing demand for these devotional panels of varying sizes from private commissions to those of varying sizes. The theme of Christ with a Reed, or more precisely Ecce Homo, enjoyed great popularity at the end of the 15th century, thanks in part to the Devotio Moderna, and in the 16th century, it was developed and disseminated by various painters, including Andrea Solario and his famous Christ with a Reed. Our work, of high quality, is typical of the productions of the workshop of the "Divino" (the Divine). The composition of the Christ with a Reed in the Prado Museum is similar, with occasional slight variations in the pose. The fine, light highlights in the hair and beard that create the undulations, the subtle sfumato, the sorrowful intensity of Christ's gaze, and the incisions made in the preparatory work before painting (particularly on either side of the reed) are characteristic of the productions of Morales' workshop and of the master himself. Christ, half-length, "Ecce Homo", is presented to the viewer in his heroic nudity, already holding the reed, the scepter which foreshadows his divine kingship which he is about to assume after his death. Excellent state of preservation: sound and clean paint layer, very beautiful material, excellent flatness of the panel.