The board retains the original painting not only on the board, but also on the frame. Here appears a painted cartouche with the signature of its author: Antonello da Messina. In his life spent between his native Sicily, Naples and Venice, Antonello was able to create a bridge between the Italian and Flemish pictorial traditions. The result was an art characterized by a meticulous rendering of detail, a monumental breadth and an intense emotional charge. The Ecce Homo was acquired in 1824 by Giacomo Spinola and has been kept in this building ever since.