Italian school of the XVII century.

Italian school of the XVII century.
"St. Peter in tears".
Oil on panel.
Measurements: 15 x 12,5 cm.

The tears of Peter was a frequent theme among the painters of the Spanish and Italian Baroque. The tears symbolize the repentance for having denied being Christ's disciple. The face of the apostle, in the present painting, fills a large part of the pictorial surface, allowing the viewer to scrutinize the suffering details of the countenance. The theme of The Tears of St. Peter was very popular in the painting of the Golden Age, as it was linked to the Counter-Reformation doctrine of repentance and confession, and allowed artists to create works of strong emotion.