Spanish school of the XVII century. "St. Peter in Mamertina prison". Oil on canvas. Relined old. Presents losses and jumps in the painting, signs of moisture on the back, dirt and tears. Measurements: 102 x 92 cm; 104 x 94 cm (frame). In this canvas the artist represents St. Peter in act of penance, half-length and in the foreground, illuminated on a dark background, which enhances its corporeity while helping to focus attention on the figure. The saint is easily identified thanks to his usual iconographic features: he has a prominent bald head, gray hair and a short beard. In addition, in the middle area on the right, the keys can be distinguished, emblem of his power on earth and in heaven, granted by Christ. The scene is contextualized inside the Mamertina prison, the prison where, according to Christian legend, St. Peter was before being crucified. The composition is dominated by earth tones and a strong chiaroscuro, characteristic of the Spanish school of the 17th and 18th centuries, in addition to the use of emphatic and monumental forms. Saint Peter (Bethsaida, c. 1 B.C. - Rome, 67) was, according to the New Testament, a fisherman, known for being one of Jesus' twelve apostles. The Catholic Church identifies him through the apostolic succession as the first Pope, based, among other arguments, on the words addressed to him by Jesus: "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the power of Death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." St. Peter could be said to have been Jesus' confessor, his closest disciple, both being united by a very special bond, as narrated in both the canonical and apocryphal Gospels. Dimensions 102 x 92 cm; 104 x 94 cm (frame).