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Saint Peter Repentant
Georges de La Tour, 1645
On the night of the Last Supper, the apostle Peter denied knowing Jesus. The Cleveland Museum of Art tells how Peter was then consumed by guilt, even though Christ forgave him. Georges de La Tour shows him as an old man, thinking over his past in a state of lasting repentance.
The red rims of his eyes and the uncertain light of the lantern suggest sleepless nights. Muted colours and simple shapes carry the mood. De La Tour worked in relative isolation in northeastern France, so although he is often grouped with the followers of Caravaggio, the museum says his connection to the Italian master is unclear.
The painting is about 114 by 95 centimetres without its frame. Notice how little there is: one man, a lantern and a dark ground.
From the museum record
| Artist | Georges de La Tour |
|---|---|
| Date | 1645 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Size | Unframed: 114 x 95 cm |
| Museum | The Cleveland Museum of Art |
| Credit line | Gift of the Hanna Fund |
| Accession number | 1951.454 |
| Licence | Open Access (CC0) |
Source: The Cleveland Museum of Art collection record. Facts such as dates, sizes and credit lines come from that record. The write-up above was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the museum record and standard references. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
