Italian school; XVIII century.

Italian school; XVIII century.
"Saint Peter".
Bronze.
Measurements: 22 x 10 x 6 cm.
This piece belongs to the Italian school as it shows a marked influence of the Italian authors who worked in Rome, especially Raphael and Michelangelo. The piece is especially characterized by its powerful anatomy. In fact, the volumetry of the figure is reinforced by the wide folds of the clothes, which announce the chiaroscuro sense of the Baroque.
St. Peter (Bethsaida, c. 1 BC - Rome, 67) was, according to the New Testament, a fisherman, known for being one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. 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.