Saint Peter Martyr with Saints Nicholas and Benedict

The work was commissioned by the spice merchant Benedetto Carlone for the chapel of San Pietro Martire in the Venetian church of the Corpus Domini, where he wished to be buried; it came to Brera due to the Napoleonic requisitions. It is dated to 1505-06 and constitutes one of the artist’s most perfect and balanced works. The presence of St. Peter is explained by the dedication of the chapel, while Benedict appears here as the patron saint of Benedetto Carlone.
The Dominican martyr Peter of Verona, who was murdered by a blow to the head with a scythe, stands on a tall pedestal which dominates the countryside and sets the saints in the real world. A shepherd plays to his dog, a knight advances preceded by his squire, and two people converse beside a church, a village and, on a higher plane, a walled city. The symmetrical composition is also balanced in terms of its palette, testifying to Cima’s interest in Giorgione’s new approach to the handling of colour.