The Martyrium of Saint Peter

This oil-on-panel painting, now generally given to Palma Vecchio, is usually dated to around 1526-1528 and shows the martyrdom of Saint Peter Martyr, including the moment of the assassination itself. Its origins lie in a competition. In 1528 the confraternity of San Pietro in Venice wanted an altarpiece for Santi Giovanni e Paolo, and Titian, Pordenone and Palma all submitted entries. Titian won, yet the flagellant congregation in Alzano, which was building a new church dedicated to the same saint, took an interest in Palma's work and probably acquired it while that church was being rebuilt. The picture filled the apse within an altarpiece that was probably designed by Pietro Isabello, a friend and contemporary of the painter. For a long time it was not linked to Palma. Bernard Berenson assigned it to Lorenzo Lotto, and Roberto Longhi returned it to the Venetian master in 1926. It now hangs in the Museo d'arte sacra San Martino in Alzano Lombardo.

Painter

Palma Vecchio

Date

1526

Medium

oil paint

Dimensions

290 × 190 cm

Museum

Museo d'Arte Sacra San Martino

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