732 - Portrait of Christ, the ‘Mandylion’, based on the Legend of Abgar; 18th-century oil painting in its original frame

Portrait of Christ, the ‘Mandylion’, based on the Legend of Abgar; 18th-century oil painting in its original frame The Holy Face (Vera Ikon) of Jesus Christ with dark hair, a beard and a mystical, reddish eye on the right. The golden Latin inscription: VERA IMAGO SALVATORIS D.N.I.C. AD REGEM ABAGARUM (The true image of the Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ, sent to King Abgar), oil on cardboard, 48 x 38 cm, in its original 18th-century frame King Abgar V, ruler of the Mesopotamian kingdom of Osrhoene, was suffering from a serious illness. Having heard of the miracles performed by Jesus in Judea, he sent a messenger with a letter to Jerusalem. He asked Jesus to come to him, to heal him, and offered him refuge in Edessa from his persecutors. Jesus replied to the king in writing. He explained that he had to fulfil his earthly mission in Jerusalem and could not come. However, he promised to send one of his disciples after his Ascension to heal the king and bless Edessa. After Easter, the Apostle Thomas sent the disciple Thaddeus (Addai) to Edessa. Thaddeus healed the king, whereupon Abgar and his entire kingdom are said to have converted to Christianity. Abgar’s messenger was also a painter. He attempted to paint a portrait of Jesus, but was blinded by his divine radiance. Jesus then pressed his face against a linen cloth. His features were magically imprinted onto the fabric.This cloth, which became known as the Mandylion or the Image of Abgar, is regarded in Orthodoxy as the first Acheiropoieton - an image ‘not made by human hands’. For centuries, it served as a theological justification for the veneration of icons.