Saint Peter

Saint Peter is one of the fundamental figures in Catholicism, a tradition in which he is known as “the prince of the apostles”. Accounts of his life can be read in the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. These biblical texts, which emphasize his strong personality, show him as a modest fisherman from Capernaum —now Israel— who, along with his brother Andrew, was one of the first followers of Christ. His original name was Simon, but Jesus gave him the name by which today he is distinguished.

The little is known about the life of this apostle after the death of Jesus is based on what tradition has said about him. After the crucifixion of the Nazarene, Peter was persecuted and captured by Herod, hence he spent time imprisoned at Jerusalem jail. Upon being released, it is said, he traveled to Rome and became the first bishop of this city, where he died crucified in the year 67.

Portrayed in full-length and in an upright position, in this representation we see an elderly Pedro. In his hands the saint carries two of the main attributes that identify him: a book with a red cover, which he holds with his left hand, and a pair of crossed keys one over the other, which he holds with his right. It was Jesus himself who entrusted to Peter what would come to be known as the “keys to Paradise,” thus giving him, symbolically, the authority  over the Church. The keys are also a symbol of papal authority, for the apostle held this position.

It was Jesus himself who entrusted to Peter what would come to be known as the “keys to Paradise,” thus giving him, symbolically, the authority  over the Church. The keys are also a symbol of papal authority, for the apostle held this position.

Another distinctive aspect of this pictorial work is the state of contemplation in which the saint is represented. With his face turned to the upper right side, Pedro drives his attention to God, not to the viewer. An architectural structure stands on the left side of the character; the landscape extends to his right, but the portrayed person does not pay attention to these elements, a fact that reinforces his deep state of absorption.

A blue tunic, that leave in sight his feet, and a yellow or ocher crossed cape make up the entire dress of the apostle. The colors of the clothing in which the saint is represented here were frequent in paintings produced in northern Italy from the 16^th century on.

The support of this work is metal, a material used whit high frequency in the painting of the European continent during this time, especially in cities such as Brussels and Antwerp. Thus, both the colors of the saint’s dress, as well as the material on which this work was painted, denote its Italian influence.

Due to the constant commercial and cultural relations between Europe and America, it is not surprising that pieces like the San Pedro that we see here, and others like it, have reached New Granada. Paintings of this type were very well received in colonial society, in part because they showed the saint in contemplative exercise, an activity that the Church sought to promote. In addition, the objects carried by the apostle, which in the oil receive a great emphasis thanks to the colors and light effects of the composition, were depositories of different messages that the Church was interested in spreading.