St. Peter(?) in the Cloisters, October 2009

St. Peter (?)
Lindenwood and Polychromy
Austria, Salzburg, ca. 1440

Accession # 64.312

Although this sculpture does not hold the keys to Heaven commonly associated with the apostle Peter, the saint typically was depicted in the Middle Ages as having a balding head with white curly hair and a beard similar to the characterization of this figure. It may have been one of a series of the twelve apostles included in an altarpiece, perhaps the lower, predella section.

Text from the Cloisters label.