The event shows Pilate’s public washing of hands, following the Jews’ request that he release Barabbas rather than Jesus. The painting is strongly caravaggesque, and the use of the half-length figures is a device which the artist probably took from Manfredi. Unlike Manfredi, however, Spada uses a much more polished style, which shows the influence of other Emilian artists, even going back as far as Correggio (1489-1534).

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