Who painted Saint Peter?

Saint Peter was painted by Michele Giambono in c. 1445/1450.

Where can I see Saint Peter?

Saint Peter is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Saint Peter?

Saint Peter is associated with Early Renaissance.

Saint Peter by Michele Giambono (c. 1445/1450)

About this work

Subject & Meaning

Classified as a work of religious art, the image focuses entirely on the figure of the apostle, who serves as the main subject of the composition.

Created around 1448 by Michele Giambono, this tempera painting on a poplar panel depicts Saint Peter as its sole religious subject. Classified as a work of religious art, the image focuses entirely on the figure of the apostle, who serves as the main subject of the composition. While the work functions as a devotional object within the Christian tradition, the available records identify the depicted figure simply as Saint Peter without detailing specific iconographic attributes beyond his identification.

Technique & Style

Saint Peter is executed in tempera on a poplar panel, a support and medium combination typical of mid-fifteenth-century Italian panel painting. The work measures 87.7 cm in height by 35.9 cm in width, a vertical format suited to its function as a devotional image of the saint. Crowe and Cavalcaselle's 1871 description of the Dondi dall'Orologio holdings grouped the Saint Peter with a Saint John the Baptist and a bishop as 'oblong panels,' indicating that the panel was conceived as part of a small ensemble of similarly proportioned single-figure images.

The handling reflects Michele Giambono's manner, characterized by a blend of Guariento's tradition with Giambono's own practice, with notable embossment in the drapery.

History & Provenance

Attributed to Michele Giambono, the panel of Saint Peter was executed in tempera on poplar around 1448. Its early history places the work in the collection of Marchese Galeazzo Dondi dall'Orologio in Padua by the 1870s, from which it entered the market and was later acquired by the antiquarian Stefano Bardini before passing to Count Alessandro Contini Bonacossi. The panel was purchased by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation in September 1931 and donated to the National Gallery of Art in 1939.

The painting measures 87.7 × 35.9 cm and is recorded as a religious work in the Kress Collection.

Context

Critical reception of Saint Peter by Michele Giambono has centered on its attribution and stylistic relationship to the artist's broader corpus. Early scholarship, such as Crowe and Cavalcaselle's A History of Painting in North Italy (1871), initially conflated the work with that of an artist they termed 'Nerito,' noting its mix of Guariento and Giambono's manner. By the late 19th century, the panel was firmly associated with Giambono, reflecting the broader revival of interest in Venetian Quattrocento painters during this period.

The painting's inclusion in the Samuel H. Kress Foundation's collection in 1931 further cemented its place in art-historical discourse, as the foundation's dissemination of Italian Renaissance works through gifts to institutions like the National Gallery of Art amplified scholarly attention.

Overview

Michele Giambono, a Venetian artist active in the mid-15th century, created this depiction of Saint Peter around 1448. Executed in tempera on a poplar panel, the painting exemplifies the early Renaissance period. It portrays the Christian apostle Saint Peter, a figure frequently explored in Giambono's oeuvre.

The work reflects the artistic currents of Venice during this era, combining traditional elements with emerging stylistic trends.

Artist & collection

Artist

Michele Giambono

Michele Taddeo di Giovanni Bono, known as Giambono (c. 1400 Venice – c. 1462 Venice) was an Italian painter, whose work reflected the International Gothic style with a Venetian influence. He designed the mosaics of the…