According to the Gospel story of the Via Crucis, this large oil on canvas depicts the moment in which a woman wiped the sweat and blood from the face of Christ with a cloth, while he followed the tortuous path to Calvary. This cloth would subsequently bear the image of his face, and the pious woman would be remembered henceforth as Saint Veronica; although her name is derived from the term ‘vera icona’, or ‘true image’(the Sudarium preserving the image of Christ). Veronica is represented on the left corner of the scene, next to a pious woman drying her tears with a large cloth, while on the right, Simon of Cyrene hastens to follow the orders of the Roman officer and take up the weight of the Cross. Close to him stands an executioner, and the grieving Mary in red and blue clothes. The scene also shows a man on a horse; he is Ponzio Pilato, who witnesses the torture. Even the two thieves who were crucified together with Christ are represented in the background and directed towards Mount Golgotha, which stands alone in a cloudy sky. The action is solemn and perfectly articulated along the diagonal axes.
