The Cleveland Museum of Art

• Full conservation statement
  To accompany the faithful traveler and guide him in prayer, this devotional image of Saint Veronica—whose name means true image (vera icon)—was adhered to the inside lid of a small wooden box called a coffret. Carved in relief and in reverse on a single wooden board, the image and letters were printed in black oil-based ink on laid paper, then hand colored in a palette consistent with early hand-colored prints, including ochre, purple, green, brown, and two red paints. Except for an opaque red, the colors are best described as transparent to semitransparent. Applications vary in thickness, and some retain brushy marks.
  
  Branding these early color woodcuts as inexpensive and mass produced by less skilled illuminators (Briefmalers) owes much to the technique and quality of the hand coloring. Colors were often applied using stencils, ostensibly a faster and less precise method than freehand application. Stencil technique is evident in this print and the overall laxity in execution and outcome—essentially coloring outside the lines—supports the premise of hasty production for wide distribution at low cost.
  
  In the green, opaque red, brown, and purple colors, stencil application is readily apparent by the generalized shapes, imprecise placement, and abrupt edges associated with these hues. In the niche behind Saint Veronica, a transparent red color fills in a more intricate negative space—as opposed to defining a simple positive shape—and accordingly it reads differently. Also distinct to this passage are lap lines showing how the color was applied in overlapping segments. These lap lines radiate nearly symmetrically from the back of the saint’s head and may represent an intentional design element, or they may be an artifact of the specific stenciling technique devised for coloring in this more complex area. Stencil application is not obvious for the ochre color because of its lack of shape and edge definition and use in narrower and fussier shapes.
• Provenance
  ?-2007

  André (b. 1927) and Marie-Thérèse Jammes, Paris France

  2007

  (Pierre Bergé & Associates, Paris France, 7 November 2007, lot 28)

  2007-2020

  (Les Enluminures, Chicago, IL, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)

  2020-

  The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
• Citations
  Pierre Bergé & associés. Vente: collection Marie-Thérèse et André Jammes - coffrets de messagers, images du Moyen Âge et traditions populaires. Paris: Pierre Bergé & associés, 2007. no. 28

  Lepape, Séverine, Michel Huynh, Caroline Vrand, and Catherine Yvard. Mystérieux coffrets: estampes au temps de La Dame à la Licorne. 2019.
• Cite this Page
  {{cite web|title=Coffret with Woodcut of Saint Veronica's Vernicle|url=false|author=Hans Burgkmair the Elder|year=Coffret: c. 1515; Woodcut: c. 1509|access-date=25 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}