Ecce Homo at the Museo del Prado through February 28, 2025
By Lenore Macdonald
Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain. Photo credit: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museo_del_Prado licensed under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
Spain holds many wonders, both natural and man-made. One of my favorites is the Museo del Prado in Madrid.
My husband and I visited Spain in May 2024. I was so disappointed when I realized that I would miss, by a few days, seeing the newly “discovered” painting at The Prado: Ecce Homo recently attributed to Michelangelo Merisi, or Il Caravaggio on view from May 28, 2024, to February 28, 2025. Lucky me! We had the opportunity to go to Spain again in October 2024. Needless to say, I jumped at this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see Ecce Homo.
Ecce Homo—Latin for “Behold the man”–was recently identified as a work by the great master himself, Caravaggio, painted around 1605-1609. The very moving, in-your-face painting presents the hesitant Roman governor Pontius Pilate presenting a sorrowful, bloodied, brutally crowned Christ to the people in Caravaggio’s interpretation of the oft-painted scene from the Passion of Christ. (John 19:5)
Ecce Homo, Caravaggio (Michelangelo Merisi, 1571-1610). Oil on canvas, 1606-1609. Private collection. Image courtesy of Museo del Prado. The painting is on display until February 28, 2025.
Ecce Homo was only recently attributed to Caravaggio. Before that it was thought to be from the school or a follower of José de Ribera. The Prado describes the painting as “one of the greatest discoveries in the history of art.” I would have to agree. But, let’s dive into the history a bit to better understand this painting and its provenance.
Like most old masterpieces, it has an interesting history.
The painting had several owners. It had not left Spain for four centuries, passing through the collections of King Phillip IV and several high-ranking officials before going to Spanish diplomat Evaristo Pérez de Castro Méndez in 1821, and thence to his descendants. (ArtNews, May 6, 2024)
The most interesting part of the story is that the painting was put up for auction in April 2021 at Madrid’s Ansorena auction house. At that point, it was attributed to a follower of Spanish master artist José de Ribera, a contemporary of Caravaggio. Its reserve price was a mere €1,500. However, The Prado took notice of the work and placed an export ban on it, arguing that there was “sufficient stylistic and documentary evidence to suggest that it might have been done by Caravaggio himself.” (ArtNews)
Maria Cristina Terzaghi, an associate art history professor and Caravaggio expert at University Roma Tre, immediately booked a plane ticket to Madrid and was among the first to identify it as a signature work by the master, telling El Pais, “It’s a Caravaggio. I have no doubts.” She identified the red of Christ’s robe and the face of Pilate from other Caravaggio works.” (ArtNews)
The unrestored painting Ecce Homo, Caravaggio (Michelangelo Merisi, 1571-1610). Oil on canvas, 1606-1609. Private collection currently on display at Museo del Prado. Image courtesy of The Guardian. It was recently restored to its former glory.
Other experts corroborated the attribution, including a nuclear engineer who specializes in the application of scientific techniques to the study and conservation of cultural heritage, Claudio Falcucci. According to Spanish authorities, a rigorous restoration followed along with an evaluation of the materials of the painting and with a study of its history of conservation, reaffirming the initial attribution to Caravaggio. (ArtNews)
According to the Spanish newspaper El Pais, the auction was scrapped and an English collector purchased Ecce Homo for €30 million, promising to donate the work for public display after his death.
For me, following this story was like Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi all over again. I had heard about its discovery a few years ago, knew that the painting had been sold to a private collector, and assumed that I would never see it in person. But, now with it on display at The Prado for a limited time, how could I possibly resist returning to Madrid to see it?
Visit it we did. We were exceptionally fortunate to view it early on a Saturday morning with only one other visitor in the gallery. She was as intent, curious, serious and engrossed as the two of us. Soon, the galleries would be teeming with tour groups, but, for now, the painting was all ours.
Ecce Homo as displayed at the Museo del Prado. Image courtesy of Museo del Prado.
The Prado’s curating is brilliant. Ecce Homo is dramatically hung alone in Gallery 8A, which is really just the north wall in Gallery 8, facing Caravaggio’s powerful David with the Head of Goliath, which is on permanent display in Gallery 8. We had the luxury of quietly studying Ecce Homo and comparing it with David with the Head of Goliath. (Unfortunately, The Prado has a strict “no photography” rule so I sadly could not take any photos of its placement.)
Wisely, the curators placed paintings by José de Ribera nearby so one could easily compare and contrast the painters’ styles. We also recognized the models in Ecce Homo from other Caravaggio works, so it was a treat to see them—old friends, one might say– in this painting.
After spending considerable time in Galleries 8 and 8A, we visited other favorites at The Prado, along with an interesting special exhibit, El taller de Rubens (Ruben’s Workshop), which is on display until February 16, 2025. The Prado truly is a world treasure and a must visit for any art lover.
Later, as we got ready to leave, the museum was now teeming with tour groups, but for a joyous half hour, we had two Caravaggios all to ourselves.
Is the Ecce Homo a new Caravaggio? We think so, but encourage you to book passage to Madrid before February 28, 2025 to determine for yourself. You are in for a real treat and may not get another chance to see this masterpiece. But, get to The Prado early in the day so you, too, can have Ecce Homo all to yourself to enjoy in quiet contemplation.
© 2024 Lenore Macdonald. All rights reserved.
