In the New Testament, 'Ecce Homo' (Behold the Man) were the words used by Pilate when he presented Christ to the people before the Crucifixion (John 19: 2-5). The inclusion of the Virgin Mary swooning in the foreground is not mentioned in the Gospels and is not usually represented in this scene. The turbaned Pilate seems to derive from the print of the same subject in Dürer's engraved 'Passion'.
X-ray photographs show many changes made during the execution of this painting, particularly around the Virgin's face.
