The Crowning with Thorns
The scene shows some soldiers mocking Jesus, dressing him in a falsely regal way, placing a crown of thorns on his head, a cane in his hands and a purple cloth on his shoulders. Other soldiers are beating him and spitting on him.
This chapel is part of the Palace of Pilate and was built at the beginning of the 17th century. In 1608 an agreement with a local artist, Anselmo de Otina di Rassa, for the painted decoration was signed. The frescoes on the back wall were started (traces of them are still preserved under the current decoration), but probably they were not matching expectations. In fact, in 1614, another painter, Ortensio Crespi of Cerano (brother of the more famous painter Cerano) was engaged. He probably made the frescoes on the back wall, on the right wall and the wooden panel.
The frescoes on the left wall are probably by Giacomo Testa or by Melchiorre d'Enrico. Bishop Taverna, who visited the Sacro Monte in September 1617, saw the frescoes and sculptures already completed. The statues are by Giovanni d'Enrico, and were shaped in the first decade of the seventeenth century.