Bidspirit auction | True effigy of Christ the

True effigy of Christ the Savior. 17th-century Spanish Colonial Viceroyalty School - Oil on canvas. Dimensions: 38 x 30 cm. The image shows the face of Christ against a black background, with long hair, a beard, and a direct, serene, and penetrating gaze. Beneath the image, a Latin inscription indicates that this is the ”Vera Imago Salvatoris DN Iesu Xp. ad Regem Abagarum missa,” alluding to the ancient tradition of the ”Mandylion,” or miraculous image sent to King Abgar. The simplicity of the frontal format, without any other narrative elements, seeks to generate an effect of confrontation and spiritual recollection. The brushstrokes are restrained, and the modeling of the face, especially around the eyes, reveals subtle work in the transition of light. The work belongs to the Italo-Flemish tradition of the early 17th century, where Italian mystical sobriety merges with Flemish formal precision. This effigy, full of Christological symbolism, refers to a silent and transcendent devotion, being a piece of notable symbolic force and spiritual contemplation.