Venetian Master, first half of the 18th century, The Delivery of the Keys - Bozzetto

Christ hands the keys to the kingdom of heaven to Peter kneeling before him (Mt 16, 18–19). This symbolizes the foundation of the church and, according to the Catholic understanding, also of the papacy. An angel with a model of a church hovers in the sky. The elegantly structured composition is a draft (bozzetto) for an altarpiece that was presented to the client before the final, large painting was carried out. The harmonious coloring is based on the triad of the primary colors blue, yellow and red, whereby the yellow in the robe of Peter is tinted to a light ocher., Oil on canvas, 39 x 20 cm