Albrecht Dürer

The Sudarium Held by One Angel (1516) by Albrecht Dürer draws us into the dramatic retelling of a pivotal Christian story. The Sudarium, or Veronica’s veil, is the cloth with which Saint Veronica wiped the face of Jesus on his way to Calvary. According to legend, Christ’s face was miraculously imprinted on the cloth—a powerful symbol of his suffering and sacrifice.

This etching exudes a feverish energy. The angel laments, soaring out of the darkness, gripping the holy Sudarium as it billows in the heavenly wind like the sail of a storm-tossed ship. Dürer’s fleeting, expressive lines evoke a dynamic vision—contrasting with his earlier engraving The Sudarium Displayed by Two Angels (1513), which is more formal and static. Here, the atmosphere feels alive, filled with movement, anguish, and celestial grandeur.

The angel appears to break away from a shadowy group carrying the Instruments of the Passion, heightening the drama. Dürer’s masterful use of chiaroscuro (light and shadow) adds depth, emphasizing the angel’s robe and the turbulence of the surrounding scene. This is not just an image; it is a profound meditation on faith, loss, and divine mystery.