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Niccolò di Pietro Gerini, 'Saint Peter: Left Main Tier Panel', 1387

About the work

Overview

This is Saint Peter, recognisable by the colour of his robes – he is traditionally shown wearing yellow and blue – and by the large golden key he holds. It is the key to the kingdom of heaven, which was promised to him by Christ (Matthew 16: 19).

The saint’s bare feet express his simplicity and humility, but he stands upon a textile decorated with phoenixes and gilded peacock heads against fanned out tail feathers, reflecting his status. Niccolò di Pietro Gerini used a technique called sgraffito to achieve the richness of the textile. It involved painting over a layer of gold leaf and then scratching the paint away in places, revealing the gold beneath.

The panel comes from the left-hand side of the main tier of an altarpiece showing the baptism of Christ.

Key facts

Details

Full title
Saint Peter: Left Main Tier Panel
Artist dates
documented 1368; died probably 1415, certainly by 1427
Part of the group
Baptism Altarpiece
Date made
1387
Medium and support
egg tempera on wood
Dimensions
123.5 × 37 cm
Inscription summary
Inscribed
Acquisition credit
Bought, 1857
Inventory number
NG579.2
Location
Not on display
Collection
Main Collection

About this record

If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.

Images

About the group: Baptism Altarpiece

Overview

This altarpiece is the earliest known example that shows the baptism of Christ as the central image – in large multi-panelled altarpieces it was usually the Virgin and Child.

It was made for a chapel in Santa Maria degli Angeli, the Camaldolese monastery in Florence. The chapel was dedicated to the feast commemorating Saint John the Baptist’s death, but the central panel depicts the key moment in his life: when he baptised Christ in the river Jordan.

The inscription tells us that it was commissioned by one of the monastery’s monks, Don Filippo Nerone Stoldi, in memory of his mother. The monastery contained many altarpieces commissioned by Florentine families, which served as memorials. One of the monks’ duties was to say prayers for the souls of the dead on days specified by the families.

Works in the group

It is rare to see images of the baptism of Christ at the centre of altarpieces and this is quite possibly the first example where it takes this position in Italian painting.Christ stands in the centre of the river Jordan, naked but for a transparent loin cloth. He gazes directly at us, making a b...
Not on display
This is Saint Peter, recognisable by the colour of his robes – he is traditionally shown wearing yellow and blue – and by the large golden key he holds. It is the key to the kingdom of heaven, which was promised to him by Christ (Matthew 16: 19).The saint’s bare feet express his simplicity and hu...
Not on display
This is the right-hand panel of the main tier of an altarpiece showing the baptism of Christ. Saint Paul is shown holding a large sword, which appears black because the silver leaf used for the blade has darkened over time.The saint has bare feet, expressing his simplicity and humility, but he st...
Not on display
This roundel (round panel) comes from the frame of the central panel of a multi-panelled altarpiece with an image of the baptism of Christ at the centre. It shows an angel, fingertips touched together gently in prayer.This is the only surviving frame decoration from the altarpiece but there may h...
Not on display
This is the lowest part (the predella) of an altarpiece that depicts Saint John the Baptist in its central panel, baptising Christ in the river Jordan. At either end of the predella are two standing saints: Saint Benedict on the left and Saint Romuald on the right.The scene on the left shows the...
Not on display