The Holy face of Jesus of Lucca was one of the most renowned and worshipped holy images in the Western world during the Late Middle Ages. There are, in fact, hundreds of reproductions of this crucifix which differ from each other in technique, material and artistry and which date back both to the Middle Ages and to more recent ages.

This extraordinary iconographic heritage offers a privileged point of view to understand the key role that the Holy Face of Jesus of Lucca had for a long time in the European society, even in some contexts which were not connected directly to the social and cultural environment in Lucca.

Thus, the iconography section of the project ARVO, acquires a special value. In fact, it offers the unique opportunity, which has never been offered before, to collect and organize according to a shared standard a complex of images which are often mostly unknown and, sometimes, even unprecedented. These images can express better than any other document a clear idea of the fortune this crucifix had in the past.