[7][3] Although Greco abided by the terms of the contract, he introduced some elements which "modernized" the legend, such as a series of features attributed to a 16th-century customary funeral procession, the vestments of the two saints, as well as the depiction of eminent Toledan figures of his time.

The "modernization" of the legend serves the didactic purpose of the painting, which, in accord with the Counter-Reformation doctrines, stresses the importance of both the veneration of saints and of good deeds for the salvation of the soul.

[16] Signed on 18 March 1586, the contract between Núñez and El Greco laid down specific iconographic demands, stipulated that the artist would pay for the materials, and provided for the delivery of the work until Christmas 1587.

Christ, clad in white and in glory, is a radiance of light, and the crowning point of the triangle formed by the figures of the Madonna and Saint John the Baptist in the traditional Orthodox composition of the Deesis.

Jorge Manuel's inclusion emphasizes the didactic purpose of the painting: the boy occupies a prominent position close to the spectator's view, directing the latter with his pointing finger.

In the heavenly space there is a predominance of transparent harmonies of iridescence and ivoried greys, which harmonize with the gilded ochres, while in the Madonna's maphorion (mantle) deep blue is closely combined with bright red.

[27] Robert Byron, according to whom the iconographic type of the Dormition was the compositional model for The Burial of the Count of Orgaz, asserts that El Greco as a genuine Byzantine painter worked throughout his life with a repertoire of components and motifs at will, depending on the narrative and expressive requirements of the art.

In connection with its elimination of spatial depth by compressing figures into the foreground, the early Florentine Mannerists—Rosso Fiorentino, Pontormo and Parmigianino—are mentioned, as well two paintings by Tintoretto: the Crucifixion and the Resurrection of Lazarus, the latter because of the horizontal row of spectators behind the miracle.

[35][36][37][22] Philipp argues that the painting is heavily influenced by the contemporary Spanish funerary art, and that Greco adhered to this sepulchral artistic tradition while adapting a popular religious subject, the Entombment of Christ, to the needs of his assignment.

[38] Sarah Schroth believes that Titian's Entombment is used by Greco as a model to subtly pass his didactic message for the value of good works, and she mentions Albrecht Dürer's Adoration of the Trinity as an inspiration for the painting's bi-partite composition and the depiction of contemporary laymen in the lower, earthly zone.

A third work of Tintoretto, The Last Judgment, is mentioned by Schroth as a possible influence for the Burial's depiction of Gloria, since Greco wanted to incorporate elements of the funeral liturgy in the upper part of the painting.

[1][15] According to Lambraki-Plaka, the Burial is a landmark in the artist's career: "This is where El Greco sets before us, in a highly compressed form the wisdom he has brought to his art, his knowledge, his expertise, his composite imagination and his expressive power.

The chromatic harmony and the use of incredibly rich, expressive and radiant colors confirm his talent as a colorist, while the scenes depicted on the embroidered vestments reveal a gifted miniaturist.

The overall composition with the innovative elements already mentioned—the peculiar synthesis of the real with the surreal, the negation of spatial depth and the impressive array of portraits—unveil all aspects of Greco's extraordinary art.