Veritable portrait de la face du sauveur - Louis Bernard Coclers

A 1756 etching by Louis Bernard Coclers depicting the face of Christ, titled 'Veritable portrait de la face du sauveur'.

This etching by Louis Bernard Coclers, dated 1756, presents a formalised depiction of the face of Christ. The composition is centred within a rectangular frame, surrounded by radiating lines that suggest a divine aura or halo. The artist employs precise, controlled line work to define the facial features, beard, and hair, reflecting the technical discipline common in mid-eighteenth-century printmaking.

Below the image, the inscription reads, 'Veritable portrait de la face du sauveur', which translates to 'True portrait of the face of the Saviour'. This phrasing connects the work to the tradition of the Acheiropoieta, or images believed to have been created without human hands, such as the Veil of Veronica. By adopting this title, Coclers engages with historical religious iconography, presenting the print as a reproduction of a sacred relic rather than a purely imaginative portrait.

Coclers, a Dutch artist who later became known for his portraiture and genre scenes, produced this work at a young age. The etching demonstrates his early proficiency with the burin and needle. The stark contrast between the detailed rendering of the face and the minimalist background focuses the viewer on the expression and the symbolic nature of the subject. The plate mark is visible, indicating the physical process of the intaglio printing method used to transfer the image onto paper. This piece offers a glimpse into the intersection of religious devotion and print culture in the eighteenth century, where such images were often circulated as devotional aids or collectibles for the pious and the curious alike.