Artwork
The Delivery of Keys to St Peter
The Delivery of Keys to St Peter is a paint painting by the Impressionist artist Eliseo Fattorini. It dates from 1873 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
This painting copies a famous fresco by Pietro Perugino. Eliseo Fattorini made it in 1873. It shows a Bible scene where Jesus hands keys to St Peter.
The Arundel Society paid Fattorini to copy Old Master works. They wanted to share art that was hard to visit. This watercolor helped people see the Sistine Chapel scene without traveling.
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Overview
This watercolour painting, created in 1873 by Eliseo Fattorini, reproduces a fresco by Pietro Perugino in the Sistine Chapel, Vatican.
Subject & Meaning
The scene depicts the Delivery of the Keys to St Peter, a biblical event (Matthew 16:19) where Jesus entrusts St Peter with keys, symbolizing his role in the early Christian church.
Technique & Style
Fattorini's work is a faithful copy of Perugino's composition, which is believed to have been assisted by Signorelli.
History & Provenance
Commissioned by the Arundel Society, the painting was part of their initiative to record and disseminate the work of Old Masters, particularly Italian fresco cycles.
Context
The Arundel Society's reproductions made inaccessible artworks available to a wider audience, allowing people to engage with significant cultural heritage without needing to travel.
Artist & collection
Copy after the painting Moses and the Angel by Perugino in the Collegio del Cambio, Perugia.
Copy after the painting Marriage of the Virgin by Perugino in S. Girolamo, Spello.
Copy after the painting The Transfiguration by Perugino in the Collegio del Cambio, Perugia.
Copy after the painting St Bernard healing a man by Fiorenzo di Lorenzo in the Galleria Nazionale, Perugia.
The Virgin in Glory
Christ's Charge to St Peter
St Benedict and the False King Totila
Copy after Calling of the Apostoles, Domenico Ghirlandaio in the Sistine Chapel, Vatican (Rome)
Copy after the Punishment of the Rebels ( Destruction of Koran, Dathan and Abirim ), Sandro Botticelli in the Sistine Chapel (Rome)
Copy after St Lawrence receiving the treasure of the Church and St Lawrence distributing Alms, Fra Angelico in the Niccoline Chapel (Vatican, Rome)
Deliver of the Keys to Saint Peter
Copy after Raphael’s fresco representing the ‘Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple’ in the Stanza di Eliodoro (Vatican Palace, Rome, 1512-14), 1866.
Copy after St Stephen preaching and St Stephen before the Council, Fra Angelico in the Niccoline Chapel (Vatican, Rome)
Copy after Raphael’s fresco representing the ‘Poets on Mount Parnassus’ in the Stanza della Segnatura (Vatican Palace, Rome, 1510-11), 1864-66