Saint Peter c. 1640-60
Oil on canvas | 62.6 x 50.7 cm (support, canvas/panel/stretcher external) | RCIN 405556
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St Peter, 'Prince of the Apostles', is shown bust-length, gazing downwards at an open book. He is wearing a russet-coloured robe with a blue undergarment, and holding a key in his right hand. The key is a traditional attribute of the saint and a reference to Christ giving St Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 16.18-19).
The type of head shown here is traditional in art and forms a pair with the bust of St Paul (RCIN 405554). The two pictures appear to be closely related to Guercino in style and may conceivably be by a member of the Gennari family.
The painting appears in Pyne's illustrated Royal Residences of 1819, hanging in the King's Dressing Room at Windsor Castle (RCIN 922105).Provenance
First recorded in the Closet at Buckingham Palace in 1774 (see RCIN 926315) and 1790; moved from there to Windsor in 1805
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Creator(s)
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Medium and techniques
Oil on canvas
Measurements
62.6 x 50.7 cm (support, canvas/panel/stretcher external)
85.1 x 72.2 x 8.5 cm (frame, external)
Other number(s)