The Story
The Tears of Saint Peter by Jusepe de Ribera (called Lo Spagnoletto). Purchase, Gift of Mrs. William M. Haupt, from the collection of Mrs. James B. Haggin, by exchange, and 2011 Benefit Fund, 2012
Created in 1613 during the Baroque period, this work belongs firmly within the religion & mythology tradition. Jusepe de Ribera worked at a moment when the rivalry between Catholic Baroque drama and Protestant restraint reshaped what a painting could mean. Every gesture, fabric, and gleam of light was decoded by contemporary viewers like a private language.
Executed in Oil on canvas, measuring 63 3/4 x 45 in. (161.9 x 114.3 cm), the surface rewards close looking. Jusepe de Ribera builds the composition through layered glazes and a tightly controlled palette, letting cool shadows recede so that the warm, lit passages step forward. The brushwork shifts from the precise to the almost dissolved — a hallmark of mature Baroque practice.
“A silence so complete it becomes its own witness.”
