Artwork
San Pedro Celestino papa
San Pedro Celestino papa is an oil painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Bartolomé Román. It dates from 1601 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
About this work
Overview
Bartolomé Román’s oil painting, executed in 1601, presents a solitary figure in a black habit before a modest wooden table. The composition includes an open book, an upright crucifix, a skull, and a crown, all set against a tiled floor and a wall that opens onto a cloudy sky through a window.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure, an elderly man with a white beard and a white head covering, gestures with his hands, suggesting a contemplative or didactic moment. The juxtaposition of the book, crucifix, skull, and crown evokes themes of mortality, spiritual authority, and the transient nature of earthly power.
Technique & Style
Román employs chiaroscuro to model forms, using strong contrasts of light and shadow that give the objects and the figure a three‑dimensional presence. The muted palette and restrained detailing reflect the early Baroque sensibility toward realism and dramatic illumination.
History & Provenance
Since its creation, the work has remained in Spain and is now part of the collection of the Museo del Prado, where it is displayed among other 17th‑century Spanish paintings.
Artist & collection
