Christ Presented to the People

Around the whole frame, in gold letters, runs a line from the Lamentations of Jeremiah that was sung in Holy Week. All you who pass by along the road, look and see whether there is any sorrow like my sorrow. The words are addressed to whoever happens to be walking past.

The picture is built the same way. The viewpoint is high and set at an angle, which lifts Pilate on his balcony above everything, and it places you down in the street behind three figures in the foreground. One of them is haranguing the crowd. Another has turned his back to you and is watching the people call for Christ's punishment. A third looks out as though asking what you think.

Above the balcony the museum identifies figures of Charity, and a banner carries a double-headed eagle, possibly a nod to the standards of a Roman legion. The Prado dates the panel to 1518 to 1520.