The Apostle Peter, ca. 1480 – 1485

About the Work

This Master was a Netherlandish goldsmith and engraver. More than eighty of his engravings—which are extremely rare today—have survived. Saint Peter holds a large key: as the first among the apostles, he is the guardian of the gates of heaven. He looks alive but stands like a sculpture on a base in a niche. Whereas the richly decorated vault above him testifies to the engraver’s flair for ornament, the depiction of spatial depth is not entirely coherent.