Saint Peter

This panel of Saint Peter by Dalmasio Scannabecchi completes what appears to be a group of single-saint panels from a dismembered Bolognese polyptych, together with the Saint Paul and Saint John the Baptist also in the Detroit Institute of Arts. Peter, identified by his traditional attribute of the keys, was the foundational saint of papal authority and appeared in virtually every major altarpiece program. The ensemble reflects the Bolognese artistic tradition that maintained its distinctive character alongside the dominant Florentine and Sienese schools.

Executed in egg tempera and gold leaf on panel, the frontal figure of Saint Peter holding his keys is rendered with the directness and solidity characteristic of the Bolognese Trecento style. Bold contour lines and simplified volumetric modeling distinguish this work from the more refined linearity of contemporary Sienese painting.