St John and St Peter at the empty tomb of Christ

Giovanni Francesco Romanelli was a Roman painter, a pupil of Pietro da Cortona, who worked extensively in both Italy and France — he visited Paris twice and had a significant influence on French decorative painting. His 1641 depiction of Saints John and Peter at the empty tomb of Christ — a post-Resurrection scene of discovery and wonder — was produced during his middle career, after he had emerged from Cortona's workshop but before his French period. The subject emphasises the moment of recognition and dawning belief, a subject with strong meditative resonance for Counter-Reformation Catholics.

The two apostles are shown at the entrance to the tomb, typically in attitudes of amazement or reverent inspection of the burial cloths. Romanelli's style, derived from Cortona but more classically restrained, combines warm Baroque colouring with orderly compositional control. The light source focuses attention on the empty tomb.