Italian school, 18th century "The Cloth of Veronica". Oil on canvas. Size: 62 x 80 cm; 80 x 100 cm (frame). The scene represented here, which would later give rise to the iconography of the Holy Face, typical of devotional painting, is an episode which occurred during the Passion of Christ, when on the way to Calvary a woman took off her veil to dry the face of the Messiah with it. The image of the face of Jesus Christ was imprinted on the linen handkerchief, and it was miraculously preserved through the centuries, becoming an object of worship. The woman would later be called Veronica, whose etymology derives from the Latin "verum" (true) and the Greek "eikon" (image). In the scene we see Christ and Veronica as the central figures, with the cloth clearly visible, looking at each other. Around them are several soldiers, four on the right side and two on the left. The latter stand out in particular, gazing at the scene in amazement, one of them wearing a lion's skin, like the Hercules of classical iconography. The figures on the right, on the other hand, remain for the most part oblivious to the scene. Two of them remain almost invisible, in the background, and a third appears facing us, witnessing the miracle. The fourth, with his back to the viewer, turns his face to look at his companion, about to look back himself. Dimensions 62 x 80 cm; 80 x 100 cm (frame).