This painting depicts a Nazareno (Holy Week procession penitent), or Christ carrying the cross. At first glance, the image could be interpreted as a scene from Christ’s Passion, but the altar table pictured towards the bottom of the painting, as well as the beautiful vases of flowers, lead us to believe that this is a portrait of a sculptural image of dressing a Nazareno. This being the case, it could be a portrait of the famous Nazareno venerated for so long in one of the side chapels of the church of San Francisco in Cuzco. We could mention two locations in the city with depictions of this subject, one in the Convent of San Francisco, dated 1713 and signed by Juan Flores Sevilla, with the second being the Museo de Arte in Lima. In the work we are addressing here, Christ is pictured stumbling on his way to Calvary, leaning his right hand on a boulder, while holding the Cross in his left. He gazes towards the Heavens, with a look of supplication for God the Father...

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