Saint Peter (left panel)
- Artist: Master of the Dominican Effigies
- Date: 1345
- Medium: tempera on panel
- Museum: The Courtauld Gallery
- Collection record: The Courtauld Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is the "Saint Peter (left panel)" by Master of the Dominican Effigies. Painted in 1345 in tempera on panel, the work sits on the left side of a larger altarpiece that would have crowned a high altar in a Florentine Dominican church. The master, active in Florence, probably trained with Pacino di Bonaguida and was especially skilled in manuscript illumination, a fact that shows in the crisp outlines and bright, almost translucent color layers here.
Notice the way the figure of Saint Peter is set beside the Virgin and Child, with a flurry of saints on either side. None of the surrounding figures are surprising, but one detail stands out: the woman on the far right, later identified as Mary Magdalene, was first painted as Saint Margaret. An inscription beneath her confirms that, and her dragon attribute—still faintly visible—reminds us of the earlier saintly patronage.
The artist’s particular debt to Bernardo Daddi is visible in the serene, almost contemplative expressions and the delicate handling of drapery. The use of tempera gives the painting a luminous quality that, even after centuries, makes the faces of these holy figures seem almost alive.
See it in person
Saint Peter (left panel) hangs in The Courtauld Gallery at Somerset House, London. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
