Auto-da-fé
1853
Step into the shadows of 19th-century Spain with this dramatic scene from the Romantic era. A lone figure, dressed in the iconic white robe and tall, pointed 'capirote' hat of a penitent, sits resignedly on a wooden platform under a dim light. This depicts an 'Auto-da-fé,' a public ritual of the Spanish Inquisition, surrounded by a shadowy crowd of onlookers. Eugenio Lucas Velázquez, a painter heavily influenced by the dark genius of Francisco Goya, signed and dated this intense piece in 1853, capturing the fear and mystery of the time.
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