The Denial of Saint Peter
c. 1626
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
132.3 × 178 cm (51 5/8 × 69 5/8 in.); Framed: 149.2 × 194.3 × 7 cm (58 3/4 × 76 1/2 × 2 3/4 in.)
Classification
oil on canvas
Department
Painting and Sculpture of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
30901
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
For this depiction of Peter denying that he is a follower of Jesus (seen under arrest in the background at right), Utrecht artist Hendrick ter Brugghen embraced the strong contrast of light and shadow and emotional urgency popularized by Italian painter Caravaggio. The dancing sparks of the fire illuminate the servant’s condemnatory finger and shroud the fearful saint in shadow, underlining the Dutch taste for naturalistic treatments of lighting in the 17th century.