Christ

On the back of the “Sacraments’ Door” to handles represented as all-round figures portray the ancient iconographic theme of the Traditio Clavium, namely the scene, of evangelic inspiration (Matthew 16, 19), in which Jesus Christ gives the Church’s keys to Saint Peter. This representation becomes even more significant if is considered the historical tradition of the place in where the portal has been collocated: the Petrin Basilica is, in fact, build on the so-called Saint Peter’s Trophy, namely the place where the first pope has been buried after his martyr. A copy of the statues above the handles of the Sacraments’ Door is conserved in the Crocetti’s Museum and they’re part of the permanent exposition since 2014.
The right handle portrays Jesus Christ who gives with both hands the key to the figure of Saint Peter, which is positioned above the opposite handle. The composition is solemn and still, the only hint of movement is given by the pose of the feet. Jesus is portrayed as an ancient philosopher wearing a drape and with a seraphic face, his physiognomy is elongated in an unnatural way but this characteristic enforces the look of majestic hieracity of his elegant visage which fits perfectly to the definition of King of Heaven.