Artwork
Lágrimas de San Pedro
Lágrimas de San Pedro is an oil painting. It dates from 1640 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The focus on the saint's tears serves as the central iconographic element, symbolizing spiritual cleansing and the hope of forgiveness through contrition.
The work depicts Saint Peter in a moment of profound sorrow, specifically shown crying. This imagery illustrates the biblical episode of the Apostle's remorse following his three denials of Jesus Christ. As a piece of religious art, the painting functions as a visual meditation on penitence and the human capacity for regret.
The focus on the saint's tears serves as the central iconographic element, symbolizing spiritual cleansing and the hope of forgiveness through contrition.
Technique & Style
Lágrimas de San Pedro is an oil painting created in 1640 on a copper support, employing oil paint and copper leaf to achieve its distinctive surface. The work portrays Saint Peter in a moment of sorrow, reflecting its religious genre. Its dimensions measure 28 cm in height by 21 cm in width, consistent with the format documented in the sources.
The painting's handling and condition are not detailed in the provided material, and no explicit assessment of formal or stylistic qualities beyond the medium and depiction is available from the sources.
The attribution to Domenichino is recorded in the Wikidata entry, which also notes its inclusion in the collections of the Museo del Prado and its historical ownership by Spanish monarchs Charles III, Philip V, and Ferdinand VII.
History & Provenance
The painting was created in 1640 as an oil on copper work attributed to Domenichino, depicting Saint Peter in tears. It entered the Spanish royal collection under Charles III and remained in the possession of his successors Philip V and Ferdinand VII before being accessioned by the Museo del Prado, where it is presently held. The composition follows a religious genre and incorporates copper leaf alongside oil paint to achieve its visual effect.
The painting Lágrimas de San Pedro is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado in Madrid. It was previously owned by Spanish monarchs Charles III, Philip V, and Ferdinand VII before entering the museum's holdings. The work, attributed to Domenichino and dated to 1640, depicts Saint Peter in a moment of repentance.
No specific inventory or accession number is provided in the available records, nor is there any documented exhibition history for this piece in the provided sources.
Overview
Lágrimas de San Pedro, painted in 1640, depicts the Apostle Peter in a moment of profound repentance following his denial of Christ. The composition centers on an elderly Peter seated on a stone ledge against a dark, indistinct background, a technique that isolates the figure and intensifies the emotional gravity of the scene. Rendered in oil, the work features the apostle in a blue tunic beneath a voluminous orange robe, with his bare feet resting on the ledge.
His posture is one of anguish; he looks upward with a worried expression, while one hand clutches the folds of his sleeve, emphasizing his internal turmoil. The lighting, characteristic of the artist's mature style, highlights the face and hands, drawing the viewer's attention to the tearful expression and the physical signs of grief. Created during the height of the Spanish Baroque, this work exemplifies the period's focus on intense psychological realism and religious devotion.
It stands as a significant example of the artist's exploration of penitential themes, capturing the human vulnerability of a biblical figure through dramatic chiaroscuro and expressive detail.
Context
Executed in oil on canvas, the painting aligns with Baroque sensibilities that favored dramatic lighting and expressive figures. The dark background isolates the subject, a common device of the period used to focus attention on the psychological state of the individual.
Artist & collection
