Vera Icon

Jan van Eyck's Vera Icon (True Image), dated 1439, depicts the face of Christ on Veronica's veil—the legendary cloth on which Christ's features were miraculously imprinted. The devotional image represents Van Eyck's engagement with one of the most powerful relics in medieval Christendom. Van Eyck's naturalistic treatment transforms the miraculous image into a convincingly physical portrait, blurring the boundary between sacred relic and painted likeness.

Van Eyck renders the face of Christ with extraordinary naturalistic precision using layered oil glazes, creating an image that simultaneously functions as a devotional icon and a demonstration of the painter's illusionistic power.