An atypical apostle with a rooster. A unique icon linked to the Bolognese school of art was saved in Belarus

Fragment of the icon 'The Repentance of Saint Peter' from Novy Sverzhan after restoration. Photo: Parish of Saint Casimir in Stolbtsy

The completion of the work was announced by the Parish of Saint Casimir in Stolbtsy, headed by Father Ihar Lashuk. Belarusian restorer Aliaksandr Lahunovich worked on restoring the canvas for many years. Judging by the 'before' photos, the artwork was in a catastrophic state: the original painting had suffered significant losses.

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Condition of the icon from Novy Sverzhan before restoration. Photo: Parish of Saint Casimir in Stolbtsy

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Face on the icon during restoration. Photo: Parish of Saint Casimir in Stolbtsy

An Atypical Peter and the Symbol of the Rooster

The subject of the icon refers to a well-known Gospel episode, often called Gallicantu in Western European art (from Latin — 'the crowing of the rooster'). It illustrates the moment of Apostle Peter's supreme spiritual turning point, when he denied Christ three times before the rooster crowed, and then, remembering the Teacher's prophecy, wept bitterly.

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'The Repentance of Saint Peter' by Gerard Seghers. 1625 — 1629. From the Hermitage collection. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

However, the greatest interest lies not in the subject itself, as it was quite popular during the Baroque era, but in the compositional solution. Typically in art of that time, for example, in Gerard Seghers' well-known painting, Peter was depicted in a classical pose of prayerful ecstasy: kneeling or with hands clasped in prayer, raised to his chest.

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Icon 'The Repentance of Saint Peter' from Novy Sverzhan after restoration. Photo: Parish of Saint Casimir in Stolbtsy

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The apostle's hands, clasped together on his knee, not in prayerful ecstasy. Photo: Parish of Saint Casimir in Stolbtsy

On the Sverzhan icon, however, we see a completely different, maximally human, and even informal Peter. He sits with one leg crossed over the other, his hands not in prayer but simply clasped on his bare leg. The saint's face, covered with wrinkles, is turned upwards, with a silent question to Heaven in his eyes.

Bolognese School

The parish notes that an icon with similar iconography exists in the capital of Slovenia — Ljubljana. Indeed, the National Gallery of Slovenia houses a canvas from the first half of the 17th century, 'The Repentance of Saint Peter,' whose authorship is attributed to an unknown master of the Bolognese School, likely a follower of Ludovico Carracci or Alessandro Tiarini.

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'The Repentance of Saint Peter' by an unknown artist. Bolognese School (?), first half of the 17th century. From the collection of the National Gallery of Slovenia. Photo: ng-slo.si

Upon comparing the Slovenian exhibit and the Sverzhan icon, their kinship becomes evident. The general concept also matches: the figure of the saint in a cloak, sitting with bare legs, and hands clasped together.

But what is most interesting is the face of Apostle Peter: the tilt of the head, the expression of the eyes, the shape of the beard, the play of chiaroscuro on the cheeks and neck — on the Belarusian canvas, they are almost identical to the Italian original, as if copied from it.

The differences lie only in the details of the composition. In the Bolognese painting, Peter's leg is crossed differently, and the rooster sits on a broken column on the left, not in the shadow on the right, as on the Belarusian canvas. The drapery of the clothing has also changed.

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The face of Saint Peter on the icon from Novy Sverzhan after restoration. Photo: Parish of Saint Casimir in Stolbtsy

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It appears that the Belarusian icon not only shares similar iconography with the Italian icon but directly reproduces it, albeit less professionally, as in the case of Apostle Peter's face.

Such similarities are not accidental, but this does not mean that an original work by an Italian master hangs in Novy Sverzhan. In the 17th–18th centuries, this subject could have entered the Grand Duchy of Lithuania through engravings made from Italian canvases. However, the rarity of precisely this variant of the apostle's pose suggests that in the case of the icon from Novy Sverzhan, the continuity might have been without graphic intermediaries.

Thanks to the work of restorer Aliaksandr Lahunovich, the artwork has regained its original colors and distinct features and will soon return to the Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Novy Sverzhan.

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