Jesus Consigning the Keys to Saint Peter (Traditio clavium)

Central part of a polyptych (the other panels are conserved in Berlin) signed and dated ‘January 1369’ (more veneto, actually 1370), it is one of the most significant Lorenzo Veneziano’s artworks. The panel represents the delivery of the keys to Peter, an uncommon visual translation of the famous passage of the Gospel of Matthew (16, 19): “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of Heaven; whatever you bind on Earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on Earth will be loosed in Heaven”, which is also written in the open book positioned on Christ’s left knee.

On the left of Christ there is Peter, knelt and with his hands folded; beyond, a dense crowd of angels and saints attends the solemn moment.

The composition is based on the patterns of the Byzantine Majesty, as are Byzantine derivations the small gold decorations of Christ’s mantle and of the halos. On the other hands, the spatiality, the monumentality of Christ’s figure and the use of the chiaroscuro derive from a more innovative language, spread over the mainland of Veneto, especially in Padua.