Delivery of the Keys
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View in the galleryAbout this painting
Peter kneels, and Christ sets two keys in his hands. The Vatican Museums read them as sovereignty, power conferred on the first vicar of Christ on earth; Shannon Pritchard notes the gold and silver pair became Peter's attribute.
Behind them the piazza opens on a domed temple flanked by two copies of Rome's Arch of Constantine, the emperor who legalized Christianity. Across the arches runs a Latin couplet that Maurizio Calvesi reads as praise of Sixtus IV: poorer than Solomon in wealth, greater in devotion.
The conclave still meets in this chapel, beneath the keys, to choose Peter's successor.
Sources: Musei Vaticani, Cappella Sistina, north wall, 'Handing over of the keys', read 2026-09-24 · Musei Vaticani, 'Sistine Chapel', history, read 2026-09-24 · Sergio Rossi, 'La Sistina ri-svelata? Nuove precisazioni (e qualche scoperta) sugli affreschi quattrocenteschi', Acta/Artis, read 2026-09-24 · Dr. Shannon Pritchard, 'Perugino, Christ Giving the Keys of the Kingdom to St. Peter', Smarthistory, read 2026-09-24
And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.
Matthew 16:19 · Douay-Rheims (Challoner)
Printed on demand. Public-domain masterwork, reproduced from a 3,187 px master of the original. The whole image is printed — never cropped to fit the sheet — so every sheet carries an archival margin, and the dimensions and resolution listed above are the ones you receive.