Getty Museum
The Liberation of Saint Peter
Creator
Laurent de La HyreFrench Artist · 1606–1656
All works by this person →When, at the age of thirty-three, he married the daughter of the personal bodyguard of Louis XIII, king of France, Laurent de La Hyre became the focus of French aristocratic gossip. By this time, he was already well known as a painter and greatly favored by the religious orders. After studying painting with his father, he made a mark on the Parisian art scene with his first major commission, an al
More on Getty ULAN- Date
- about 1647
- Medium
- Black chalk and brown wash
- Culture
- French
- Department
- Drawings
- Institution
- Getty Museum
In this simple yet dramatic composition, an angel leads Saint Peter past the sleeping guards, releasing him from King Herod's imprisonment on the night before his trial. Early Christians traditionally regarded the episode as symbolic of the coming deliverance of the Church from persecution. With its elegantly posed figures, carefully drawn drapery, and delicate combination of black chalk and brown wash, this scene epitomizes Laurent de la Hyre's refined, distinctive draftsmanship. Powerful lines representing supernatural light emanate from the angel and focus the viewer's eye on the two protagonists. Silhouetted against this brilliant light, Saint Peter's strong form resembles a three-dimensional statue. The bodies of the sleeping soldiers anchor the scene at the bottom, echoing the heavy, intersecting beams in the upper right.
The authoritative record is held by Getty Museum. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.
Get printable QR codesHide QR codes
Open QR codes for this object page and the museum record. They stay collapsed until needed.
Related across collections
Semantically similar works from Getty Museum and other institutions.