The iconography of the Veronica in the region of Lombardy: 13th–14th centuries

Abstract

A significant number of thirteenth- and fourteenth-century representations of the Veronica have emerged in the Lombardy area. Three appear in frescoes in as many churches; two, in manuscripts. All five images seem to be consistent within the ecclesiastic diocese of Milan. Moreover, Saint Veronica is always shown holding the revered veil. The fresco in the church of Saint Veronica in the town of Santa Maria Hoè, dated between the third-last and the penultimate decade of the thirteenth century, is one of the most ancient depictions of this iconography. Most of the images cited here are devotional; only the miniatures might be considered more narrative than devotional. One stands out in particular: the depictions in a Psalter, Hymnarium and Martyrologium of Saint Veronica handing the veil to two presbyters. This miniature might be considered a unicum in iconography as well, in that there is nothing like it in either the visual arts or the hagiography of Saint Veronica and the venerated veil.