Saint Peter

Ugolino di Nerio's Saint Peter presents the prince of the apostles with his keys of the kingdom in the formal polyptych panel format that characterized this Sienese master's altarpiece production. Peter's keys, Christ's grant of binding and loosing authority that formed the theological foundation of the papacy, are rendered with the precious precision characteristic of the Sienese goldsmith tradition that influenced all Sienese painting. Ugolino's Peter stands with apostolic dignity within the gold atmosphere of Byzantine inheritance, his strong features conveying the natural authority of the fisherman whom Christ named as the rock of his Church.

Painted in egg tempera on gold ground panel, the figure of Saint Peter displays Ugolino's meticulous craftsmanship in the rendering of the saint's vestments and attributes. The softly modeled features and dignified bearing reflect the Sienese tradition of devotional refinement, with elaborate gold tooling in the halo.