San Pietro predica alla presenza di San Marco
Fra Angelico·1433
Historical Context
San Pietro predica alla presenza di San Marco belongs to the series of panels Fra Angelico painted from the life of Saint Peter for the chapel of Pope Nicholas V in the Vatican, completed between 1447 and 1449. These Vatican frescoes mark Angelico's most prestigious commission, produced after his major work at San Marco in Florence, and show him working in a more monumental register appropriate to papal patronage. The inclusion of Mark as witness to Peter's preaching reflects the ancient tradition that Mark was Peter's interpreter.
Technical Analysis
Peter stands as a preacher addressing an assembled crowd — a format derived from Early Christian sarcophagus reliefs and Byzantine narrative painting. Figures are arranged in Angelico's characteristic shallow architectural settings, each individualised through varied poses and coloured draperies.
