It was most likely the Veil of Manoppello that was the archetype of all vernicles, i.e. images showing the face of Christ. The distinctive common features are:

  • the long face, the narrow nose, open eyes, the hairstyle
  • the strand of hair on the forehead
  • the picked part in the middle of the beard
  • the thin moustache
  • the swelling on the right side of the face.

Below there are eighteen vernicles (click to enlarge)

Russian vernicles in the State Tretyakov Gallery, the Museum of Andrei Rublev, and the Museum in Rybinsk

The archetype