About this artwork
This virtuoso print replicates the cloth that Saint Veronica used to wipe Christ’s face on the way to his death. The cloth is called a sudarium, a contact relic containing the print-like impression of the savior’s face. Claude Mellan engraved Christ’s portrait in one seemingly unbroken line; the spiral from the center of his nose swirls outward to delineate the fabric. The artist’s way of approaching the swelling engraved line, produced with increased burin pressure, lends the image an abstract quality.
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Status
- Currently Off View
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Department
- Prints and Drawings
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Artist
- Claude Mellan
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Title
- The Sudarium of Saint Veronica
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Place
- France (Artist's nationality:)
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Date
- Made 1649
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Medium
- Engraving in black on buff laid paper
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Dimensions
- Plate: 43.3 × 31.6 cm (17 1/16 × 12 1/2 in.); Sheet: 43.6 × 31.9 cm (17 3/16 × 12 9/16 in.)
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Credit Line
- The Charles Deering Collection
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Reference Number
- 1927.4349
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IIIF Manifest
- https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/47146/manifest.json
Extended information about this artwork
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.