Saint Peter [left panel]

Nardo di Cione painted this figure of Saint Peter as the left panel of a triptych, with the chief apostle's prominent placement reflecting his role as the rock upon which the Church was built. Nardo, along with his brother Andrea (Orcagna), dominated Florentine painting in the decades following the Black Death of 1348, their solemn, hieratic style reflecting the austere spiritual climate of the plague years. The National Gallery triptych exemplifies the devotional formats that Florentine workshops produced in quantity for churches, confraternities, and private patrons.

Executed in egg tempera on gold-ground panel, the figure of Peter holds his traditional keys attribute and is rendered with the solid, volumetric modeling characteristic of the Orcagna workshop. The heavy drapery folds and austere facial type reflect the more severe figural style that replaced the gentler Giottesque manner after mid-century.