Public collection via the Cleveland Museum of Art
AT-00009893About the Artwork
Wtewael depicted the moment after the Last Supper when the apostle Peter (at the left) denied knowing Jesus in order to protect himself from Roman soldiers searching for Christ's followers. Few works by this artist are known, and he draws on an unusual combination of styles. The dramatic use of light derives from Dutch followers of the Italian painter Caravaggio, in vogue around 1625, while the twisting bodies, startlingly low viewpoint, and tight detailing come from a more refined, courtly mode more popular earlier in the century.
Inscriptions
Signed upper right: "Pet[...] / W[...]"
Provenance
[L.A. Houthakker, Amsterdam, 1970], sold to Mr. and Mrs. Noah L. Butkin, Cleveland. Mr. and Mrs. Noah L. Butkin, by gift to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1972.
Exhibition history
Year in Review: 1972. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 27-March 18, 1973). Utrecht in the Golden Age. Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, Legion of Honor, San Francisco, CA (organizer) (September 13-November 30, 1997). Masters of Light: Dutch Painters in Utrecht During the Golden Age. Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, de Young Museum, San Francisco, CA (September 13-November 30, 1997). Utrecht in the Golden Age. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, MD (January 11-April 5, 1998). Masters of Light: Dutch Painters in Utrecht During the Golden Age. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, MD (January 11-April 5, 1998); National Gallery, London, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (May 6-August 2, 1998).
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Peter Wtewael (Dutch, 1596–1660)
- Date
- c. 1624–28
- Medium
- oil on wood
- Dimensions
- Framed: 43.8 x 61 x 6.4 cm (17 1/4 x 24 x 2 1/2 in.); Unframed: 28 x 45.5 cm (11 x 17 15/16 in.); Former: 42 x 59.5 x 6.5 cm (16 9/16 x 23 7/16 x 2 9/16 in.)
- Type
- Painting
- Classification
- Painting
- Department
- European Painting and Sculpture
- Credit line
- Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Noah L. Butkin
- Accession no.
- 1972.169
More by Peter Wtewael in museum collections
Open-access museum record · AT-00009893
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