The Deliverance of Saint Peter c. 1645 - 1647

David Teniers the Younger created this painting, called The Deliverance of Saint Peter, during the 17th century, a period marked by religious and political tensions. The painting depicts soldiers gathered around a table, seemingly oblivious to the miraculous escape of Saint Peter from his prison cell. The choice to portray a biblical scene within a genre painting might reflect the complex relationship between the sacred and the secular in that era. Teniers situates his tale of deliverance in a tavern. In a period marked by religious conflicts, the juxtaposition of the divine with everyday life invites us to contemplate the role of faith and freedom in a society undergoing significant change. Teniers invites us to consider how the mundane and the miraculous can coexist and perhaps question the role of institutions in our lives.