Apostlen Peter 1766 - 1770

Cornelius Høyer rendered this oil on copper painting of the Apostle Peter in Denmark sometime in the late 18th century. In this intimate portrait, Peter is represented with the symbolic key to Heaven, an emblem of papal authority conferred by Christ. Consider the role of religious institutions at the time. Were there debates around the sacred and secular authority? How was religious belief instrumentalized? The image’s dark background and tight cropping recalls the artistic conventions of religious portraiture. To truly understand the work, we must also consider the institutional contexts of its creation and exhibition. Was this a private commission? Did it circulate amongst an elite group of connoisseurs, or was it meant for public display? These are the kinds of questions historians ask, and the answers can often be found in archival sources like letters, exhibition catalogs, and inventories.