The Holy Face, or the Sudarium of St. Veronica

This print is a work of artistic genius. Christ’s sorrowful yet serene face is portrayed through one unbroken, non-intersecting, and spiraling line that originates from the tip of his nose. Light and dark tones are created only through narrowing and thickening the lines.

Mellan’s image was based on the legend of Veronica’s Veil, a cloth offered to Christ on the way to his crucifixion that was left with the imprint of his face. This miraculously produced cloth became a Christian relic that many artists attempted to replicate.

At the bottom of this print, the inscription reads FORMATUR UNICUS UNA (the one and only made from the one and only) and NON ALTER (that cannot be imitated). There is a heretical parallel between the singularity of Christ and the uniqueness of Mellan’s artistry. Through intricate engraving techniques, Mellan announces the superiority of his skills, the singularity of his work, and the legitimacy of his art as the true image of God. His ambition lies further in challenging the limit between the holy and human creation.