I presume this painting, signed Peter Murray and dated 1938, was done after one famous image or another of Veronica's Veil, that most venerated of Christian relics. (According to medieval legend, the veil belonged to a woman who took pity on Christ as he toiled with his burden of the cross to Golgotha. She gave Christ her kerchief to wipe his brow, and when he returned the cloth, his image miraculously had been impressed upon it.) I of course love its folky earnestness, reminding me very much of prison art, and that it was done on raw linen, making it feel itself rather like a veil. One also feels the subject's appeal as the perfect vehicle for getting to paint blood red wounds and tears.
Sold as found in a lovely old frame that at some point not too long ago it appears someone painted gold. Framed: 20 3/8" x 17 1/4". Sight: 13 1/4" x 10". All in good condition, with what appears to be very new backing and wired for hanging.
You might also like
