St PeterLippo Memmi · 1330

The Figure of Saint Peter

The painting presents a portrait of St. Peter, depicted as an elderly man with a long white beard. He is positioned in a frontal view, holding a book within his hands. The figure wears a yellow robe marked with a cross. Behind the subject, the architectural elements of a church or cathedral are visible, including a stained glass window. The composition is rendered in black and white, presenting the subject through shades of grey, black, and white.

Technical Execution and Style

Created in 1330, this work by Lippo Memmi utilizes tempera on wood. The artist employs a style that maintains the static and frontal qualities found in late Duecento traditions. His technique involves precise lines, particularly in the rendering of facial features such as narrow eyes, graceful brow lines, and elongated noses. The figure possesses a certain facial roundness. While the painting adheres to established Byzantine-rooted conventions, it also incorporates elements of the International Gothic style through its attention to detail.

Historical Context and Symbolism

The subject is identified as St. Peter, the first Pope and one of the Twelve Apostles. The book held by the figure and the cross on his yellow robe function as specific identifiers of his religious authority. Lippo Memmi, an Italian painter from Siena, produced this work during a period of transition in Sienese art. His practice often integrated the formal qualities of Byzantine icons with the emerging elegance of Gothic painting. The presence of the church backdrop connects the individual portrait to the broader ecclesiastical setting of the era.