Who painted Christ's Charge to St Peter?

Christ's Charge to St Peter was painted by Giambattista Pittoni in 1737.

Where can I see Christ's Charge to St Peter?

Christ's Charge to St Peter is held by Ashmolean Museum.

What movement is Christ's Charge to St Peter?

Christ's Charge to St Peter is associated with Rococo painting.

Artwork

Christ's Charge to St Peter

Giambattista Pittoni , 1737

Christ's Charge to St Peter is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Giambattista Pittoni. It dates from 1737 and is held in the collection of the Ashmolean Museum.

About this work

Overview

Giambattista Pittoni, a Venetian artist active in the early eighteenth century, painted Christ’s Charge to St Peter circa 1737. Executed in oil on canvas, the work belongs to the religious genre and is part of the Ashmolean Museum’s collection.

Subject & Meaning

The composition shows Jesus in a white garment standing on a rocky ledge, extending his right hand toward a kneeling Saint Peter, who is clothed in yellow. Peter looks upward in reverence, suggesting the biblical moment when Christ entrusts him with the keys of the Church.

Technique & Style

Pittoni employs a clear Rococo palette and a delicate handling of light, creating soft transitions between illuminated and shadowed areas. The chiaroscuro effect gives the figures a palpable sense of volume, while the overall tone remains light and decorative, characteristic of his late‑Baroque sensibility.

Context

Working in Venice during a period when the Rococo style was gaining favor, Pittoni was a founding member of the Academy of Fine Arts of Venice and later its president in 1758. His religious canvases often combined devotional narrative with the period’s preference for elegance and gentle movement.

History & Provenance

After its creation, the painting entered private collections before being acquired by the Ashmolean Museum, where it remains on display as an example of Pittoni’s religious output and the broader Venetian Rococo tradition.