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Angelica Aldaba
3 November 2010
Art History 100
Swisher
Observing The Denial of St. Peter
The Denial of St. Peter is a work based out of the Baroque era, from which many famous
artists emerged, including Caravaggio and Bernini. The Baroque era describes 17th century
distinctive European art that arose after the Renaissance period, taking art to the extreme. While
Renaissance art provoked talents of precise, classical models, Baroque embraces art on a more
grandiose scale, emphasizing theatricality, sensual richness, and drama, which can be seen and
experienced through The Denial of St. Peter.
If you are not familiar with the Bible, this painting is related to the story of St. Peter. In
the Bible, Jesus tells Peter the truth is this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny
me three times (The New Living Translation, Matt. 26.34) during the Last Supper. The first
denial occurs in a courtyard after Jesus has been arrested by the chief priest and elders of the
people (Matt. 26.47); a servant identifies Peter as one of Jesus followers, which Peter denies.
The next incident is near the gateway of the courtyard when the servant announces to a group of
bystanders that Peter is a follower of Christ, which he denied again saying, I do not know the
man. A while later another group of bystanders also identifies him as a follower of Jesus saying
that his Galilean accent gives him away with which Peter replies, I swear by God I do not
know the man. Immediately, the rooster crowed (Matt. 26.47). In this painting, the woman
could be the servant girl from the Bible, her finger pointing accusingly at St. Peter, who is easily
identified by his beard and heavy cloak. The guard in the painting could be that of the high

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priest, asking Peter of his allegiance to Jesus. St. Peter, judging by his hand gesture, seems to be
putting his hand up in denial of the guards accusations, as if attempting to stop it. The facial
features of the people depicted in the panting can also be interpreted by the artists use of light.
The artist uses techniques often related to that of Caravaggio and even Leonardo da
Vinci. One technique would be the use of chiaroscuro, referring to the rendering of light and
shade in a two-dimensional work of art. Although the technique of tenebrism, the high contrast
between deep darks and blinding lights, is associated with the works of Caravaggio, this would
not apply to The Denial of St. Peter. This is because the colors the artist uses in this painting to
lighten peoples faces is not a blinding light, but a soft glow, like that from a candle such as the
one depicted in the painting. The use of chiaroscuro can be seen in the candlelight the
maidservant is holding. The candlelights reflection onto the womans face and that of St. Peters
cloak varies, as the womans face looks extremely pale while Peters cloak appears as if it is
emerging from darkness. This type of use of candlelight reinforces one of the characteristics
from the Baroque era, drama. The use of minimal light in the midst of such an intense event only
makes the scene more dramatic. The viewer can see St. Peters look of denial, not wanting to be
associated with Jesus. On the other hand, the light reflects strongly on the knights aggressive
features, practically allowing the viewer to feel the tension, another Baroque feature, in the scene
with his torso leaning forward, almost threatening. With the detail the artist gives, the viewer can
almost feel the guards grip on the maidservants wrist, which can also be viewed as potential
movement (another characteristic of the Baroque era). However, in the background, the
maidservant is not completely left out in the shadows. The artist makes certain that even though
the servant is not the focus of the painting, her shielding of the light reinforces the involvement
in the scene, even if he or she does not want to be involved.

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Another technique the artist uses is sfumato. Sfumato is the act of figures emerging from
a background, and features smudged, indistinct contours and blurred outlines between figures.
The reasoning for using this technique is the same as chiaroscuro, to heighten the drama in the
scene. When looking at the work, there is a very blurred line between where the guards armor
begins emerging from the darkness of the canvas and actually becomes the figure of a man in
armor. Even the womans red garment is barely distinguishable beneath her arm; the same
relating to the brown cloak around St. Peter. All these features allow for a climactic scene, with
figures emerging from shadows and the pointing of the womans fingers accusingly, while a poor
man defends himself against a royal guard. The joining of all these events in the painting can
make it seem chaotic and disorderly, making the viewer feel the same way.
In addition to the usage of candlelight, the artist does not omit the use of reflection of
color, which can also be seen in the works of Jan Vermeer. In The Denial of St. Peter, the tip of
the candles flame emits a tint of red onto the object in the foreground behind the guard, which
resembles that of a fire pit, and additionally onto the tip of the guards nose and lips, this
reflection possibly coming from the womans red garment. While mentioning the latter, the artist
pays fine attention to detail in this work, painting his figures very naturalistically. The viewer
can see the separate wisps of hair on St. Peters beard and the womans fingernail outline of the
holding the cover Peter if observed closely enough. In addition to the figures themselves, the
clothing and covers, specifically the woman and St. Peters, are given special attention to as well.
The artist painted the womans dress and Peters robe and cover to look heavy by the strategic
placement of creases as well as giving the fabric weight so it seems to hang down from their
arms and body. The artists reasoning for implementing these features was perhaps to reinforce
the story from the Bible. While Peter was denying his relation to Jesus in the Bible, it was said

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that there were fires burning in the courtyard. Thus, the heavy fabric would reiterate that the
climate around the time in the painting was probably cold hence the fires burning outside.
Another reasoning for including these features was to further attract the viewer into the painting
itself, as if it were possible to touch the fabric and be able to feel its texture. In addition, the need
to include the covers in the painting may extend past the visual aesthetics for the viewer and
serve a more hidden purpose. The covers in The Denial of St. Peter could symbolize the covering
up of a secret or a truth, in this instance, it would be the lies Peter tells about not knowing Jesus.
The Denial of St. Peter was painted around 1630 and attributed to Master Jacomo
(Jacomo Pittore?), who was nicknamed the Candlelight Master (4). However, this nickname has
also been associated to other artists like Trophime Bigot and Giacomo (Jacobe). Because of this
confusion, no one is sure who the real Candlelight Master is. According to Benedict Nicolson, a
British art historian and surveyor (3), the Candlelight Master was a Dutch or French painter born
around 1600 in Aix-en-Provence and served as an apprentice in Utrecht, finally settling down in
Rome (2). Other paintings that have been identified as being works of this Candlelight Master
include The Pieta and the Crowning with Thorns (1). In any case, the painter of The Denial of St.
Peter has yet to be discovered.
The techniques in this painting have been reused and modified to fit todays culture of
modern art. The Baroque era, as seen in The Denial of St. Peter, used many techniques such as
chiaroscuro, sfumato, naturalism, and the reflection of color to enhance characteristics such as
drama, movement, and chaos, elements that together make for timeless pieces of art and history.

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Works Cited
1. Brejon, Arnauld. The Burlington Magazine May 1979. 9 November 2010.
<http://www.jstor.org/stable/879586>
2. "Candlelight Master." The Concise Grove Dictionary of Art. Oxford University Press, Inc.,
2002. Answers.com 09 Nov. 2010. http://www.answers.com/topic/candlelight-master
3. Nicolson, [Lionel] Benedict. dictionaryofarthistorians.org. Dictionary of Art Historians.
<http://www.dictionaryofarthistorians.org/nicolsonb.htm>
4. Seventeenth-Eighteenth Centuries. hoodmuseum.dartmouth.edu. Hood Museum of Art. 21
January 2010.
<http://hoodmuseum.dartmouth.edu/collections/overview/europe/paintings/seventeenth/P
98549.html>
5. The New Living Translation. Illinois: Tyndale Charitable Trust, 1996.

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The Denial of St. Peter attributed to Master Jacomo

Picture courtesy of The Palmer Museum at the Pennsylvania State University