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Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0 · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileThis ornate wooden cross features a central painting of Christ on the crucifix surrounded by four circular medallions. At the top, Saint Peter holds the keys to heaven; the arms of the cross show the Virgin Mary and Saint John the Evangelist in prayer, while Mary Magdalene appears at the base with her jar of ointment. The background is finished in gold leaf with intricate punchwork patterns typical of the early 16th-century Umbrian style.
As an early work attributed to Raphael, this cross represents the transition from Late Gothic devotional formats to the harmonious proportions of the High Renaissance. The arrangement of figures around the central axis reflects the contemporary Neoplatonic interest in the 'Cosmic Cross' as a symbol of universal order and the mediation between the physical and spiritual planes.
S P
Translation
Saint Peter
Raphael
This early liturgical work demonstrates the artist's foundational mastery of sacred geometry before his later Neoplatonic synthesis in the Vatican Stanze.
Object
Oil on panel
religious
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3-flash-preview on April 2, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.