Saint Peter and Saint Paul with the Veil of Saint Veronica (Vera Icon)

The two Apostles present one of the most important relics held in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome: the cloth that, according to legend, Veronica handed to Christ on his way to Calvary and on which his face left an imprint. What the artist shows here, however, is not an imprint. In its physicality and with its rich detail, untouched by the drapery of the textile, Christ’s suffering face could hardly be more real. In this way, Schaffner’s panel is an impressive testimony to the late medieval veneration of the so-called vera icon, the “true image” of Christ.