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The famous icon of the Sacro Volto in Genoa and its impressive silver-gilt frame have been the subject of numerous studies, but the complexity of the issues that are involved means that some gaps still exist in our knowledge of its origins. 1 Not only does the heavily varnished icon itself have to be related to the tradition of images of the Mandylion, and its position in the chronology and development of this tradition established, but the history of the original relic has to be related to the legend as narrated on the frame in S. Bartolomeo. 2 This article will not be concerned with the icon itself, but will be confined to studying its revetment and frame, where the ten reliefs portray episodes from the early history of the original‘Image of Edessa’ ( Fig. 1 ). These will be discussed with reference to some elements of the Abgar legend, 3 and the history of the relic itself after its importation into Constantinople in 944 and subsequent transference to Paris, probably in 1247. 4 While these reliefs offer a narrative sequence of the creation and early history of the relic, consideration will also be given to questions not so far covered in the quite extensive literature; these concern their very individual technique, and their place in the art of their period and in the oeuvre of the artist who created them.
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