Saint Peter and Saint Paul
First half of the XVII century. Oil on canvas.On display elsewhere
This work depicts Saint Peter and Saint Paul standing in three-quarter view in an interior, dressed in large tunics. The two saints are in an attitude of dispute while standing close behind a table on which two folios rest. It is an anonymous reproduction of one of the pieces by El Greco on this theme, specifically the painting located in The State Hermitage Museum (Saint Petersburg), dated between 1587 and 1589, and of which a second version, is known to exist in Stockholm (Nationalmuseum). In 1608, the engraver Diego de Astor initially designed the plate which made the dissemination of his El Greco possible. However, Astor’s template does not explain the creation of this copy which, derives directly from the Russian version.
Ruiz Gómez, Leticia, El Greco en el Museo Nacional del Prado: catálogo razonado, Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado, 2007, p.248-249 n.43
