The Way to Calvary

While carrying his cross, Christ stumbles and falls. One of Christ’s executioners raises a fist to strike him and another pulls him by a rope around his waist. In the distance is Calvary, the barren hill with two crosses where Christ will be crucified. The Virgin follows her son and wipes her tear-soaked cheek. Saint Veronica holds out her veil to Christ, on which the image of his face will become miraculously imprinted. This painting may have been an altarpiece for a chapel dedicated to Saint Veronica. Her name is related to the Latin phrase vera ikon, which means ‘true image’. Veronica’s veil, the Sudarium, became a relic venerated as a true picture of Christ. The composition was inspired by an engraving after Raphael (Prado, Madrid) and by a woodcut from the Small Passion by the German artist Dürer. A dense arrangement of figures expressing strong emotion is typical of Bassano’s mature works -– those made once he had fully developed his style and technique. Text: © The National Gallery, London