Master caravaggista, Naples or Sicily, first quarter of the 17th century.

Master caravaggista, Naples or Sicily, first quarter of the 17th century.
"Ecce Homo".
Oil on canvas. Relined.
Attached are the following documents:
- Letter from Maurizio Marini, Rome, expert on Caravaggio, dated 2006.
- Technical report by Arte-Lab 2012 ("Relazione sul supralluogo").
- Pictorial study issued by Roberta Lapucci, Caravaggio specialist.
- Certificate of reception of the work. by Arte Lab. Center for the Study of Cultural Heritage. RayXArt.
- Email from John Gash (5 February 2009), University of Aberdeen, Scotland.
Includes CD with X-rays of the work.
Painting identified as a high quality version derived from the original by Caravaggio (belonging to the S.F. Cortez collection in New York), placing it stylistically and qualitatively within the close circle or follower of the Lombard master.
In very good state of conservation. It presents slight reintegrations in the mouth and the ear of Christ.
Measurements: 80 x 99.5 cm; 106 x 125 cm (frame).

The iconographic, stylistic and technical studies gathered on the Ecce Homo in bidding coincide in identifying this work as a version of great artistic and historical interest. We are facing a celebrated and debated composition: the same configuration found in the Ecce Homo of the Palazzo Bianco in Genoa (attributed to Caravaggio) and in the version in the S.F. Cortez collection in New York (which Maurizio Marini considers the original). Based on this premise, the authorship is attributed to a painter from Caravaggio's circle, possibly a disciple or follower, active in Naples or Sicily at the beginning of the 17th century.

The scene shows the moment in which Pontius Pilate presents Christ scourged before the crowd. The composition is closed, with three-quarter figures on a dark background, focusing all the drama in the expressions and gestures. The figure of Christ is the central axis of the composition. He stands out for his raw realism. The anatomical details are poignant: the thorn of the crown can be seen entering the flesh of the forehead and coming out below. The technical report highlights the mastery in the representation of the blood on the shoulder: the lower part is of a darker red (blood already coagulated), while the one that gushes out is bright red. Christ shows a contained suffering, with a lowered gaze.

As the expert John Gash points out, this Christ presents an anatomy and a face "too idealized" to be a pure Caravaggio. Unlike the master's usual models (who were usually men of the street, with dirty feet and coarse features), this Christ is classically beautiful, smooth-skinned and pale.

Pilate appears dressed in dark civil servant's clothes of the time and a black cap or biretta. His hand points to Jesus with a gesture of presentation, while his face, turned towards the viewer (or the invisible crowd), shows a skeptical or questioning expression. The treatment of the clothes and the psychological capture are remarkable aspects, fully caravaggista.

The executioner, or sayon, placed between Pilate and Christ, has the function of placing the red cloak on Jesus' shoulders (the purple clamour of mockery).This fits with Gash's observation that the secondary figures are too caricatured in comparison with Christ's serenity. However, they are of undoubted quality, emphasizing the character located in the central left part that may correspond to the face of Caravaggio himself. This is a resource that was applied on several occasions by the master.

The chiaroscuro is the great protagonist of the work. The light falls strongly on the naked torso of Christ, highlighting his vulnerability. The intense red of the robe that crosses the composition stands out, visually unifying Pilate (left) with Christ (right).

John Gash (of the University of Aberdeen) suggests that the author may be Alonzo Rodriguez (Messina, 1578-ca.1648), a Sicilian painter who trained in Rome and absorbed the style of Caravaggio. Rodriguez is known for mixing the tenebrism of Caravaggio with a sometimes more academic or idealized drawing in the sacred figures, which explains the "beauty" of the Christ against the crudeness of the surroundings. Moreover, his activity in Sicily coincides with Caravaggio's stay on the island (around 1609), where he influenced many local artists.

Alonzo Rodriguez trained as a painter in his hometown with Giovan Simone Comandè. He soon had to move to Rome and Naples, where he came into contact with the style of Caravaggio and, especially, with the Neapolitan interpretations of the art of Michelangelo Merisi. Particularly evident in his work are the influences of Battistello Caracciolo and Bernardo Cavallino. After his return to Messina he painted The Supper at Emmaus, preserved in the Regional Museum, and The Last Supper, now in the Town Hall, good testimonies of his work.

As for the technical analysis (Art Lab Report), it details how the painting presents reintegrated areas next to Christ's mouth and ear. Thanks to the X-ray, the underlying drawing of the painting is revealed, where corrections can be seen, indicating that it is not a mere copy but a reinterpretation with the painter's own resources.

This composition is often linked to the famous 1605 competition organized by Monsignor Massimi, where Caravaggio, Cigoli and Passignano competed. Although Caravaggio's winning painting is still a matter of debate (some say it is the Genoa one, others the Madrid one just discovered in 2024), the version we are bidding for belongs to the compositional line of the Genoa/New York painting.

The letter of Maurizio Marini (expert on Caravaggio) dated May 14, 2006, is crucial to evaluate this piece: Marini categorically states that the version under bidding is of "superior quality" to the one exhibited in the Barcelona review and shown on TV3, which he qualifies as a modest copy. Marini places this painting as the second in importance, just after the original in the Cortez collection in New York. He considers it "certainly the closest to the New York painting", placing it above the copy of the Carmelite Fathers of Arenzano (Genoa).

In short, we are looking at a work of great quality by a master active in Naples or Sicily during the first decades of the 17th century, probably by the hand of Alonzo Rodriguez or another close follower. Although the present surface shows subtle later interventions, the underlying structure (Christ and Pilate) denotes the hand of a master who was intimately familiar with Caravaggio's methods, but who chose to soften the master's brutality in favor of a more devotional and idealized Christ.