Het martelaarschap van Christus en de apostelen

In the background, executioners strain to raise an inverted cross to which Saint Peter is nailed, surrounded by a crowd of Roman soldiers and spectators. The right foreground features a large-scale depiction of Peter as the first Pope, holding the keys to heaven and a heavy book. The setting is a classical Roman plaza featuring a triumphal column and a domed building resembling the Pantheon.

As an early work by Hendrick Goltzius, this print exemplifies the transition toward the high-precision engraving style that would define the Haarlem Mannerists. While primarily a religious work of the Counter-Reformation, it showcases the technical virtuosity and anatomical focus that later made Goltzius a central figure for esoteric and natural-philosophical illustrators.