The artist, who was born in Crete, found many patrons in Toledo, becoming a wealthy man. He produced several versions of this picture during his long career in Spain. According to Saint Luke’s Gospel, Saint Peter denied Jesus on the night before his death, thus fulfilling Christ’s prophecy. When Peter heard the cock crow after his betrayal, he remembered Jesus’s words and ‘went out and wept bitterly’. Here, Saint Peter raises his tear filled eyes to Heaven, hands clasped in prayer as he repents his denial of Christ in Gethsemane. In the background is Christ’s empty tomb with Mary and an angel nearby. The artist uses the bright light and flashing sky to heighten the drama of the moment and arouse a spiritual fervour in the viewer. The subject was popular in the Catholic Church due to its association with making a confession of sin.

Provenance: bequeathed by the Founders, 1885

Object description
Type: Easel painting
Location: Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, County Durham
Material: Oil on canvas
Artist: El Greco (1541–1614)
Date: c.1580–1589

Image Details
Date: 7 Feb 2025
Camera body: iPhone Xs
Lens: Telephoto Camera 52mm ƒ/2.4
Focal Length: 52mm
Aperture: ƒ/2.4
Shutter Speed: 1/33s
ISO: 640
Licensing: Image of a Bowes Museum asset. This image cannot be licensed.