The Tears of St. Peter

This subject was one of El Greco’s specialities; he painted it on at least six occasions. According to Luke’s Gospel, Peter denied Jesus on the night before his death, thus fulfilling his prophecy. When Peter heard the cock crow after his betrayal, he ‘went out and wept bitterly’. Mary Magdalene’s discovery of the empty tomb after the resurrection is shown on the left. The Ivy trailing over the rock has many religious meanings. Its luxurious leaves grow on tender stalks symbolising the modesty of Jesus Christ in his human guise and his rich divine essence. As an evergreen it is also an emblem of the immortality of the soul after death.