The Martyrium of Saint Peter

Palma Vecchio's Martyrdom of Saint Peter from around 1526 depicts the assassination of Peter Martyr — the Dominican inquisitor murdered by heretics in Milan in 1252 — a subject of particular importance to Dominican patrons commissioning altarpieces for their order's churches. The composition was directly compared by contemporaries to Titian's famous Peter Martyr altarpiece of the same period, and their juxtaposition reveals both Palma's considerable abilities and the difference between his more classical composure and Titian's dynamic energy. Palma died in 1528 before completing his career's full possibilities; the Peter Martyr was among his last major works.

Palma Vecchio renders the dramatic scene with his characteristic warm palette and atmospheric landscape, balancing the violence of the martyrdom with the lyrical natural setting in his typically gentle manner.