Escuela española, s. XVII

17th century Spanish school.
"Jesus before Herod".
Oil on canvas.
Measurements: 84 x 105 cm; 102 x 122 cm (frame).
We are in front of a scene linked to the biblical episodes of the Passion: the presentation of Christ before Herod. Stylistically and formally it is a painting from the Baroque period, clearly influenced by the Flemish school. The expressiveness of the faces and the naturalistic modelling of the bodies reveal the influence of Rubens. Jesus is introduced into Herod's court. The latter is moved and uncomfortable by the historical decision he has to make. The episode is narrated in Luke's Gospel: after being tried by the Sanhedrin, Jesus is sent to the Roman governor Pontius Pilate, who, on learning that he was a Galilean, understood that the case would be under the jurisdiction of Herod Antipas. The architectural background, based on steps, marble columns and arches, organises the space in which the figures interact with each other to form dynamic groups. It thus offers different levels of reading and focuses of attention, between the anecdotal anecdotes of the secondary plots and the central drama.