Artwork
St Peter Repentant
St Peter Repentant is an oil painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist Karel van Mander III. It dates from 1647 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Rendered in oil on canvas, the composition highlights the saint's humanity and capacity for redemption, themes central to Counter-Reformation devotional art.
The painting shows Saint Peter in a moment of penitent reflection, his gaze directed downward as he clutches his chest, symbolizing remorse for his threefold denial of Christ. The work draws on traditional iconography of Peter as the repentant apostle, emphasizing spiritual awakening through visible contrition. Rendered in oil on canvas, the composition highlights the saint's humanity and capacity for redemption, themes central to Counter-Reformation devotional art.
The depiction aligns with Counter-Reformation ideals of personal repentance, using Peter's anguished expression and clenched posture to convey inner turmoil and moral awakening. His gestures and attire reference biblical narrative without additional symbolic attributes, focusing attention on the psychological depth of his contrition.
Technique & Style
Karel van Mander III executed St Peter Repentant in 1647 using oil paint applied to a canvas support. The work measures 169.5 cm in height and 126.5 cm in width. As a religious painting, the piece depicts Saint Peter and is currently held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst. The physical dimensions and material composition define the formal scope of this mid-17th-century oil painting.
History & Provenance
St Peter Repentant is an oil-on-canvas painting created by Karel van Mander III in 1647, as recorded in its cataloguing data. No information is available in the provided sources regarding the circumstances of its commission, the patron who may have ordered it, or details of its creation process. Likewise, the sources do not document an ownership chain or provenance history prior to its acquisition by the Statens Museum for Kunst, which is listed as its current collection and location.
The painting's documented history is therefore limited to its 1647 inception and its present institutional holding in Denmark.
The painting is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst (National Gallery of Denmark) in Copenhagen. Its inventory or accession number is not provided in the available sources. No exhibition history is recorded in the given sources.
Overview
Created in 1647, this oil on canvas by Karel van Mander III portrays Saint Peter in a moment of introspection. The work is part of the collection of Denmark’s Statens Museum for Kunst, where it is displayed among the museum’s Baroque holdings.
Context
Executed during the mid‑seventeenth‑century Dutch Baroque period, the work reflects contemporary devotional trends that favored emotionally charged depictions of saints. Van Mander’s treatment of Saint Peter aligns with the Counter‑Reformation emphasis on personal penitence and the didactic power of visual art.
Artist & collection
