Road to Calvary, at center Veronica kneels before Christ and holding the Sudarium
ca. 1656–1660
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet (Trimmed): 11 15/16 × 18 1/8 in. (30.3 × 46 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1962
Accession Number
62.602.410
Art Historical Context
This etching, titled *Road to Calvary*, captures a poignant moment from the Passion of Christ. At the center, Saint Veronica kneels before Jesus, offering her veil—the Sudarium—which miraculously retains the imprint of his face. Created around 1656–1660, the print is attributed to Coryn Boel, a Flemish engraver, and draws on a composition associated with the Italian Renaissance painter Giovanni Cariani (also known as Giovanni Busi). As an etching, the work exemplifies the medium’s power in the seventeenth century to spread religious imagery widely and affordably. Fine lines and tonal contras...
About the Artist
Giovanni Cariani (Giovanni Busi)|Coryn Boel (Italian|Dutch) · 1485 |1617 –1547 |1668
Italian, San Giovanni Bianco ca. 1485–after 1547 Venice|Dutch, Antwerp ca. 1622–1668 Brussels