In the arts, and particularly in sculpture, the 15th century was dominated by emotion and sensitivity. Expressions of pain, compassion, ecstasy or majesty, visible in the faces of sculpted subjects, in their posture or in their finery, weave a silent dialogue between the sacred and the faithful, establishing an intimate connection between the work and the viewer, encouraging contemplation and adoration. This exceptional Veronica, holding out her veil printed with the sacred face of Christ, an essential figure of compassion and devotion in 15th-century mysticism, is a moving demonstration of this. Carved from limestone quarried near Charly and Apremont, in the Cher department, and spread by the rivers Allier and Loire as far north as Orléans, it gives form to the many sculptural commissions issued in this region at the end of the Middle Ages.
