Page of The Liberation of St Peter by STEENWYCK, Hendrick van the Younger in the Web Gallery of Art, a searchable image collection and database of European paintings and sculptures (1100-1850)

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The Liberation of St Peter

1619
Oil on copper, 48,3 x 66 cm (irregular)
Royal Collection, Windsor

The painting is signed on the second step to the right and dated in centre.

The scene is based on the account of Saint Peter's delivery from prison given in the Acts of the Apostles 12: 5-10:

And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison. And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.

And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him. Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.

Steenwyck specialised in painting interiors with complicated perspectives. The subject of the liberation of Saint Peter was a particular favourite, partly because the narrative allowed him to exercise his penchant for night scenes. Numerous variants are known and there are more than six different versions in the Royal Collection alone. Of these the present painting is the earliest in date and the finest in quality. Although it is only first recorded during the reign of George III and cannot be firmly identified in earlier inventories, Charles I, like many of his contemporaries, appreciated Steenwyck's work for its intricate detail and careful finish. At least two of the versions in the Royal Collection were definitely in Charles I's collection and it is probable that the others were as well. Steenwyck worked in London from 1617 until around 1637, but he was more closely associated with his birthplace, the Netherlands.

Steenwyck often painted the architectural backgrounds of works in which the figures were depicted by collaborators, although this procedure was not necessarily followed here. The solid architecture with vaulted interiors, thick columns and heavy masonry can be made out in the flickering light of an oil lamp and the dying embers of a fire. The guards slumber in a variety of poses, their weapons laid aside, while Saint Peter and the angel make their escape. The tenebrist effect, which undoubtedly helps to create an atmosphere and heightens the sense of drama, may have been influenced by Adam Elsheimer.