Christ carrying the Cross

This painting perfectly captures the spirit of the Counter-Reformation, depicting Christ on his way to Calvary in the foreground, against an undefined background and with striking chiaroscuro. His sorrowful face, marked by restrained emotion, invites the believer to reflect, in keeping with the ideals of the Catholic Reformation.

Notable are the realistic folds of his tunic, the long fingers of his hands barely touching the wood of the cross, as well as the detail of the wood grain and the drops of blood trickling down his forehead, marked by the crown of thorns.

Sariñena was inspired by models by the Venetian painter Sebastiano del Piombo, one of which is currently in the Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, and another in the Prado Museum.