The naming of Saint Peter as Head of the Church, after Raphael's Stanza dell'incendio del Borgo, from a series of 15 plates, depicting Raphael's works for the Vatican stanze and the Sistine Chapel tapestries 1650 - 1670

This engraving at The Metropolitan Museum of Art by Pietro Santi Bartoli captures Raphael's fresco in the Vatican. Rendered in stark lines and contrasting tones, the composition dramatically unfolds from left to right. Note how the figures are grouped. On the left, Christ gestures expansively towards a cluster of sheep, symbolizing his flock. This grouping contrasts with the dense assembly of the Apostles to the right, all tightly packed together, creating a sense of communal weight. The linear precision of the engraving delineates each figure with clarity and also emphasizes the solidity of their forms. The artwork explores power and authority. Bartoli uses this formal arrangement to suggest a hierarchy, with Christ positioned at the periphery while Saint Peter kneels centrally, receiving Christ's blessing and the keys to the church. The architectural backdrop, rendered with meticulous detail, underscores the weight of religious tradition. This is not a simple illustration but a potent symbolic articulation of divine power.