The Disrobing of Christ

Oftentimes we don’t appreciate what we’re seeing when we see it. I asked Google to tell me more about the El Greco paintings in the cathedral we visited yesterday and it’s nearly unimaginable that the artist painted this painting to hang in this spot over 450 years ago!!

Location: Prominently set within the altar of the Sacristy of Toledo Cathedral. 

The Subject: Commissioned in 1577 shortly after El Greco arrived in Toledo, it depicts the moment before the Crucifixion when Roman soldiers strip Jesus of his vibrant crimson robe. 

Details to Notice:
The Crimson Robe: The intense, glowing red robe at the center draws the viewer's eye immediately, contrasting with the dark armor of the soldier beside him and the chaotic, claustrophobic crowd surging around him. 
Artistic Controversy: When El Greco delivered this painting, cathedral authorities initially refused to pay full price because he placed the heads of the crowd higher than Christ's head, and included the Three Marys in the lower left—details church officials considered non-canonical. It is now recognized as one of his absolute masterpieces

1. Who Handed Him the Job?
When El Greco arrived in Spain in 1577, his dream was to land royal commissions from King Philip II at El Escorial. However, while waiting for a royal opening, he established a key connection in Toledo: Diego de Castilla, the Dean of Toledo Cathedral.
In July 1577, Dean Diego de Castilla commissioned El Greco to paint a major piece for the cathedral’s newly built sacristy—the vestry room where priests dressed in sacred vestments before celebrating Mass.
2. Was the Subject Specifically Chosen?
Yes. The theme was directly tied to the function of the room.
Because the room was the sacristy—the place of vestments—the Cathedral Chapter specifically requested a depiction of the stripping/disrobing of Christ before his crucifixion (El Expolio). The theological idea was symbolic: as priests put on their holy robes in the sacristy to reenact the Sacrifice of the Mass, they contemplated Christ being stripped of his red robe before his ultimate sacrifice on Mount Calvary.
3. The Controversy and Conflict
While the Cathedral Chapter requested the subject, they did not expect El Greco’s revolutionary Mannerist interpretation, which ignited an intense row when he delivered the finished work in 1579:
The Artistic Offenses: The church commissioners objected to two major details:
1. The Crowding: The violent heads of the mob were placed higher than Christ’s head, which theologians argued lacked proper reverence.
2. The Three Marys: El Greco included the Three Marys in the lower-left corner looking on in distress. The church argued that gospel accounts placed the Marys further away during the disrobing.
The Legal Battle: The cathedral's appraisers offered El Greco only 350 ducats instead of the 950 ducats his own valuation demanded. They ordered him to alter the painting and remove the controversial elements.
El Greco took them to court/arbitration. He ultimately accepted the lower payment because he desperately needed cash, but he refused to repaint or alter a single brushstroke—leaving the original composition exactly as you saw it!Read more