ART 220: Analysis of Perugino's 'Delivery of the Keys'

This paper provides a comprehensive visual analysis of Pietro Perugino's painting, 'Christ Giving the Keys to St. Peter,' also known as 'Delivery of the Keys.' Created during the Italian Renaissance and located in the Sistine Chapel, the fresco is examined for its visual elements, including the use of color, composition, and symbolism, such as the golden keys. The analysis explores the historical context, commissioned by Pope Sixtus IV to promote Christianity, and its significance within the period's religious and artistic landscape. The paper highlights Perugino's mastery, the painting's representation of Christian teachings, and its lasting impact on viewers, making it a key example of Renaissance art.

Running head: INDIVIDUAL ARTWORK ANALYSIS
Analysis of the painting “Delivery of the Keys (Perugino)”
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

1INDIVIDUAL ARTWORK ANALYSIS
Introduction
The painting “Christ Giving the Keys to St. Peter” or more commonly called by the
name of “Delivery of the Keys” is one of the most popular paintings of the world (Reilly).
The painting was created by Pietro Perugino during the Italian Renaissance Period and is
presently located in the Sistine Chapel of Rome, Italy (Plumb). Perugino was commissioned
for the creation of this painting in 1480 for the decoration of the Old St. Peter's Basilica in
Rome by Pope Sixtus IV (Alexander). More importantly, since it was a very large painting,
Perugino was helped by the other prominent of Italy like Ghirlandaio, Botticelli and others
for its completion (Adams). Furthermore, this painting and the other artworks of Perugino
had earned him a very honorary place in the cannon of Italian painting and his works are
being studied even in the present times which have become representative of the Italian
Renaissance itself. The painting not only represents the sublimity of Perugino’s art but at the
same time captures the essence of Christianity and the teaching of Christ in a succinct manner
as well. This paper will undertake a visual analysis of Perugino’s painting “Christ Giving the
Keys to St. Peter”.
Visual Analysis and Explanation of the Painting
The painting under discussion here is a large fresco the size of which is 10’10” x 18’
and is often considered to be a part of the New Testament Narrative Cycle which was
extremely popular during the time of the Italian Renaissance (Charles, Manca and McShane).
The painting under discussion here depicts Christ’s act of giving the keys to St. Peter in the
presence of His followers so as to commemorate the incident (Kirkpatrick). Hasel and Sarli
are of the viewpoint that this was an incident within the cannon of the New Testament and
this was one of the major reasons why Perugino was commissioned to depict it pictorially for
the education of the general masses. Furthermore, the concerned painting in a succinct

2INDIVIDUAL ARTWORK ANALYSIS
manner also represents the life of Jesus Christ on the north wall of the Chapel while the south
wall depicted in the painting is a representative of the Old Testament life of Moses.
The painting is often seen to be a narrative one and is supposed to represent the
moment when Christ hands over the keys of the gateway of Heaven to St. Peter because of
the contribution that he had made towards the religion of Christianity (Reilly). This actually
is a part of the Christian Bible and therefore the work can be seen as a representation of the
benefits or the rewards that an individual can reap by effectively following the teachings of
the Bible and also the Lord. As a matter of fact, in the Gospel of Matthew (16:18-19), Christ
says to St. Peter, “And I tell you that you are Peter (Petros), and on this rock (petra) I will
build my church… I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven….” (Plumb). In this
regard, it needs to be said that the first aspect of the painting which strikes the eyes of the
readers is the golden key which is being handed over to St. Peter by Christ. More
importantly, the effective usage of the pictorial device for narrating the concerned incident
had not only contributed towards the visual appeal of the painting but at the same enriched its
meaning as well which in turn had made it one of the most representative works of the Italian
Renaissance.
The painting takes the help of different vivid colors for the representation of the
characters however at the same time it is seen that no strict demarcation is being made in the
visual attire of Christ or St. Peter and other characters presented in the painting. This is
important from the perspective that if the viewers do not have a clear idea of the Christian
myth which is being presented in the painting they would not be able to decipher in an
effective manner the thing which is being presented in the painting. More importantly, the
extremely large size of the keys is a symbolical representation of the thing or attribute which
is being passed on by Christ to St. Peter (Alexander). In addition to this, the celebration of the
people in the background of the painting is an indicative of the value or the reward of the

3INDIVIDUAL ARTWORK ANALYSIS
thing which is going on in the painting under discussion here. The net result of this is that
these aspects create a visually pleasing experience on the minds of the viewers and thereby
greatly contributes towards the visual appeal of the painting.
Historical Context of the Painting
As already mentioned, the painting under discussion here was commissioned by Pope
Sixtus IV in 1481 to be a part of the redecoration of Old St. Peter's Basilica in the city of
Rome and Sixtus was extremely pleased with the painting (Adams). More importantly, the
painting can be seen as an initiative on the part of the concerned Pope to spread the message
of Christianity in an effective by retelling this New Testament Christian myth. In addition to
this, the painting also in a succinct manner highlighted the benefits or the rewards that the
individuals are likely to get by effectively following the teachings of the Lord, Christ and the
Bible (Kirkpatrick).
The painting belongs to the genre of religious painting and was painted by Perugino
keeping into perspective the historical, social and others factors which were predominant
during the Italian Renaissance. In this regard, it needs to be said that during this time period
Christianity was widely being accepted by the people and thereby to further enhance the
acceptance of the concerned religion by the people (Hasel and Sarli). It was with this
intention that Perugino was asked by the Pope to select the incident under discussion as the
underlying theme of the painting.
Perugino (1446/1452 – 1523) is generally considered to be one of the most important
religious painters of the Italian Renaissance period and as a matter of fact Raphael was his
pupil (Charles, Manca and McShane). In addition to the painting under discussion here, there
are other paintings as well for which he is famous, namely, “Moses and Zipporah”, “Baptism
of Christ” and others (Alexander). It was precisely this popularity as well as mastery of the

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painting art-form which motivated the Pope to commission him for the concerned painting.
The net result of this is that the painting which is presently in Sistine Chapel of Rome, Italy
was intended for the Christians of the concerned age so to show them the benefits or rewards
of following the teachings of the Lord in a sacrosanct manner. Furthermore, it is seen that
even in the present times the painting had neither lost its visual charm for the viewers nor its
original message which continue to influence the individuals (Plumb). In this regard, the very
act of giving the keys to St. Peter by Christ represented by the painting is an important aspect
which still captivates the modern viewers.
Conclusion
To conclude, Perugino’s “Christ Giving the Keys to St. Peter” is a timeless painting
which still appeals to the 21st century audience because of its visual appeal and also its
Christian message. More importantly, the painting in a succinct manner represents the
sublimity of Perugino’s painting style while highlights the benefits that the individuals can
derive by effectively following the teachings of the Bible and also the Lord. These features of
the painting under discussion here made it a representative work of the Italian Renaissance.

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References
Adams, Laurie Schneider. Italian Renaissance Art. Routledge, 2018.
Alexander, Jonathan James Graham. The painted book in Renaissance Italy: 1450-1600. Yale
University Press, 2016.
Charles, Victoria, Joseph Manca, and Megan McShane. 1000 Paintings of Genius. Parkstone
International, 2014.
Hasel, M. F. A., and Giselle Sarli. "Teaching Art History from a Biblical Foundation: Art
History as a View into the Great Controversy." The Journal of Biblical Foundations
of Faith and Learning 1.1 (2016): 5.
Kirkpatrick, Robin. The European Renaissance 1400-1600. Routledge, 2014.
Plumb, John Harold. The Italian Renaissance. New Word City, 2017.
Reilly, Patricia L. "The taming of the blue: writing out color in Italian Renaissance
theory." The Expanding Discourse. Routledge, 2018. 86-99.

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Appendix
Perugino’s “Christ Giving the Keys to St. Peter”