Saint Peter

Lorenzo Costa painted this Saint Peter around 1505 as part of a series of apostle figures. Costa's career spanned Bologna and Mantua, and his gentle, warmly colored figures were widely admired. Individual apostle panels were common components of altarpiece ensembles or devotional series. Lorenzo Costa was a Ferrarese painter who worked at the courts of Mantua and Ferrara, producing accomplished portraits and devotional works in the northern Italian Renaissance tradition.

Oil on panel with Costa's warm Bolognese coloring and gentle modeling. The apostle is rendered with quiet dignity and the soft sfumato-influenced technique characteristic of Costa's mature style.