The Crucifixion of Saint Peter with a Donor; The Legend of Saint Anthony Abbot with a Donor; The Annunciation 1445 - 1455

Editor: This panel painting, created around 1445-1455, is called "The Crucifixion of Saint Peter with a Donor; The Legend of Saint Anthony Abbot with a Donor; The Annunciation." It’s by an anonymous artist, and uses oil paint and tempera on a wood panel. The mood is immediately striking - quite solemn and visually busy! There is almost too much to take in all at once! What’s your take on the overall composition? Curator: Oh, it's delightfully cluttered, isn't it? Almost dreamlike, as if figures and stories float onto the scene at will. You see Saint Peter, upside down, a donor reverently observing... But look beyond the martyrdom to the bizarre curtain shrouding another figure – Saint Anthony, perhaps? The landscape sprawls, almost indifferent to the drama unfolding in its foreground. Doesn't it feel like the artist crammed as much holiness as possible into one small space, in a kind of ecstatic devotion? Do you get a sense of that from it too, the artist's own piety oozing from every brushstroke? Editor: Yes, that’s interesting...the idea of ‘cramming’ as much holiness as possible, you’re right! There's definitely a sense of heightened reverence, but perhaps tinged with something else. Almost like a slightly unsettling, surreal vision of faith? Curator: Exactly! It is both deeply sincere, and wildly inventive. Consider how this artist bends space and scale. Are we meant to believe that Peter is being crucified so near such an attractive town? Or that there is another man covered nearby? It suggests something more spiritual: an artful realm that feels utterly, undeniably, heaven. Editor: I see what you mean, that combination is pretty memorable. Thank you! Curator: And thank you for opening my eyes to new facets of the painting. I shall reflect on the “surreal vision of faith” and perhaps incorporate it into my daily bread!