Scuola Lombarda (XV) - San Pietro Apostolo

Lombard master of the late 15th century

“ Saint Peter the Apostle ”

Tempera on panel / Period: 1470-1480
Measurements: 50 x 28 cm

Milanese-Lombard milieu, circa 1460–1475
near the circle of Zanetto Bugatto, Bonifacio Bembo and the early Vincenzo Foppa

- Brief description of the work

The panel depicts Saint Peter the Apostle in full figure, immediately recognizable by the keys, the traditional attribute of the saint and a symbol of the authority conferred by Christ. The apostle, elderly and bearded, wears a green robe covered by a broad red mantle edged in gold and holds his right hand to his chest in a composed and solemn gesture.

The figure is set within a perspectival architectural interior, defined by the floor, the side walls and the wooden ceiling; notably significant is the shadow cast by the saint, an index of a growing attention to the naturalistic rendering of space.

The work thus combines late Gothic features, evident in the linearity, the chromatic splendor and gilded profiles, with a new Renaissance sensibility in the construction of volume and space. These characteristics orient, attributively, toward the Lombard painting culture of the third quarter of the 15th century, about 1460–1475, in the environment where the experiences of Zanetto Bugatto, Bonifacio Bembo and the early Vincenzo Foppa intertwine.

*** The work presents characteristics of potential museum and documentary-historical interest, in particular for its presumable placement in the third quarter of the 15th century and for belonging to the Lombard figurative culture at the moment of transition between late Gothic tradition and Renaissance language.

The representation of Saint Peter the Apostle, the quality of the facial characterization, the elaborated perspectival construction of the environment and the coexistence of elements still late Gothic with a new attention to light and space make it a significant document of the painting of nineteenth-century Northern Italy in the fifteenth century.

Condition Report

The work appears in a fair state of preservation, compatible with the age of the artifact and the nature of the wooden support. The painting surface preserves good overall legibility of the figure of Saint Peter and of the architectural arrangement.

There are widespread craquelure, abrasions, wear of the paint layer, small losses and color losses, more evident along the margins and in some areas of the background and the drapery. Also visible are alterations and surface heterogeneities presumably related to varnish aging and to previous conservation interventions. The gilded profiles show physiological wear and localized losses.

The wooden support shows the natural signs of time, with irregularities and wear to assess structurally. The reverse preserves extensive ornamental decoration, today partially worn and affected by deposits, wear and surface alterations.

- Expertise and certificate of lawful provenance
- Text and documentation prepared by an antique appraiser

The frame is provided free of charge with the work and must therefore be regarded as an accessory element, not included in the painting’s economic valuation. Given the natural fragility of antique gilded frames, any damage, detachment, breakage or loss of parts of the frame that occur during transport or shipment cannot be the subject of reimbursement, indemnity, or dispute concerning the painting’s value. The packing will nevertheless be prepared with the utmost care to ensure, as far as possible, a safe transport.

insured shipping and secure packing
Transportation insurance at the appraised value

*** For historical-interest reasons the work cannot be shipped outside the European Community