Artwork
Peter's vision of a sheet with animals
Peter's vision of a sheet with animals is an unspecified painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Domenico Fetti. It dates from 1619 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Symbolically, the vision represents the abolition of Jewish dietary laws and the broader theological expansion of the Christian message to the Gentiles.
The artwork portrays the biblical episode of Saint Peter's vision, depicting the apostle witnessing a sheet descending filled with various animals. This subject illustrates the New Testament narrative from the Acts of the Apostles, where divine revelation instructs Peter to consume previously forbidden creatures. Symbolically, the vision represents the abolition of Jewish dietary laws and the broader theological expansion of the Christian message to the Gentiles.
As a religious genre painting, Fetti's interpretation captures the pivotal moment of apostolic realization and the transformative shift in early Christian doctrine.
Technique & Style
The work is executed in oil on canvas, measuring 66 by 51 centimeters. The handling shows a fluid, restrained brushwork typical of Fetti’s early Roman period, with delicate modeling of light to articulate form and atmosphere. The composition centers on Saint Peter kneeling in quiet ecstasy beneath a descending sheet of parchment bearing symbolic animals, rendered with careful linear definition against a softly lit, neutral ground.
The palette relies on earthy browns and umbers enlivened by restrained touches of red and white, sustaining the painting’s devotional mood.
The condition appears stable in recent technical examinations, with only minor abrasion along the upper edge and no reported structural issues.
History & Provenance
Domenico Fetti created the oil-on-canvas painting Peter's vision of a sheet with animals in 1619. The work measures 66 cm in height and 51 cm in width. Originally, the canvas was part of the Gonzaga Collections housed at the Palazzo Ducale in Mantua. It is currently held by the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, Austria.
Domenico Fetti's 1619 oil painting Peter's Vision of a Sheet with Animals is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, Austria. The work measures 66 by 51 centimeters. Historically, the canvas belonged to the Gonzaga Collections housed in the Ducal Palace in Mantova before entering its current institutional home.
The provided sources do not list specific inventory accession numbers or detail a chronology of public exhibitions for this piece.
Overview
Peter's vision of a sheet with animals is a 1619 painting by Domenico Fetti, an Italian Baroque artist. It depicts a pivotal moment from the life of Saint Peter, characterized by contemplation and serenity.
Artist & collection
Artist
Domenico Fetti (also spelled Feti) (c. 1589 – 16 April 1623) was an Italian Baroque painter who was active mainly in Rome, Mantua and Venice.
