Saint Peter

The nickname Petrus, meaning “rock” in Latin, was given by Jesus to Simon of Capernaum and refers to the mission entrusted to him to build the Church. Peter is also recognised as the first bishop of Rome and the first pope. For this reason, unlike other apostles, he is often depicted in liturgical vestments.

The presented sculpture depicts Saint Peter dressed in attire typical of the Western Church tradition. He wears an amice around his neck, an alb, a stole crossed over the chest, tied with a cingulum, and a long cope with a decorative border ending in tassels, fastened with a clasp above the chest. In his now-missing right hand, he most likely held a key or keys to the gates of heaven – a symbol of his role in the heavenly kingdom. The possible appearance of this missing feature is suggested by Albrecht Dürer's engraving Saint Veronica Between Saints Peter and Paul (from the Small Passion series, 1510), which likely served as inspiration for the sculptor. Clear similarities are evident in the pose, hand gesture, details of the vestments, and the draping of the cloak around the right arm.

The back-facing design and the size of the figure indicate that it was originally placed within the central cabinet of an altarpiece, likely in the form of a small triptych, a style characteristic of Pomeranian foundations. The figure of Peter was probably positioned next to the Saint Veronica sculpture (inventory no. MNS/Szt/95) in the Szczecin collection, as suggested by formal and stylistic connections between the two works. The graphic source of the composition also suggests that the third central figure was Saint Paul.

The form and style – closely resembling the reliefs of the altarpiece from Dąbie (inventory no. MNS/Szt/169) and the figures from the now-lost altarpiece of the Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Szczecin – associate the work with the output of a Szczecin workshop in the late Gothic period, specifically the 1520s.

The sculpture is displayed in the permanent exhibition Mystery of Light: Medieval Art in Pomerania.

Kinga Krasnodębska