Description

This is a significant work from the Granadan early Baroque period. It probably originates from an altarpiece, perhaps from the San Lázaro Hospital or a parish in the Albaicín area of the City, and it came to the Royal Hospital building in 1968.

It is of the type created at the workshop of sculptor Alonso de Mena, who built on the model developed by Pablo de Rojas, with a more naturalistic feel and greater expressiveness and volume. The figure, taller than natural size, is disproportionately large as it was conceived to be seen from a great height. The face presents the highest technical excellence, along with the masterly sculpting of the curly hair. The perizoma, gathered up on the right-hand side of the figure in a large bow, displays beautifully executed volume. 

The polychrome is also of the highest quality, with its glazing of the wounds and bruises, and delightful estofado technique to highlight the stripes, so characteristic of Jewish garments, in the perizoma. This polychrome was once obscured due to a crude repaint, which was removed in restoration work conducted at the beginning of this century.