The Sudarium 

This is The Sudarium, made by Anthonis Sallaert, who was active in the 17th century. It's an engraving - a print pulled from a metal plate, in this case using only one color, black. The medium is really key to understanding this image. Engraving allowed for the mass production of images, fueling the spread of religious iconography throughout Europe and beyond. Note how the image is presented as if on a textile, yet is of course just ink on paper. The image itself shows the face of Christ after the crucifixion. The lines are sharp and precise, indicative of the engraver’s skill. The use of a single color creates a stark, dramatic effect. The image is both intimate and iconic, a devotional object made possible through skilled labor and distributed through a growing economy of images. Consider the amount of work involved in creating the original plate, and how it could then be reproduced endlessly. Sallaert made a virtue of that repetition; even in a unique impression like this one, the mechanical character of the engraving process is evident. This was devotional art for a modern, increasingly industrial world.