The Delivery of the Keys to Saint Peter - Pietro Perugino, 1481–1482

The Delivery of the Keys to Saint Peter

Pietro Perugino, 1481–1482
Fresco | Sistine Chapel, Vatican City

Few works of art so seamlessly blend political power, religious doctrine, and visual beauty as Pietro Perugino’s The Delivery of the Keys. Painted between 1481 and 1482 for the Sistine Chapel, this fresco captures a moment of profound symbolic meaning: the biblical handing of the keys from Christ to the Apostle Peter, signifying the divine authority of the papacy and the foundation of the Church itself.

Commissioned by Pope Sixtus IV, this fresco was part of a larger decorative cycle that set the spiritual and aesthetic tone of the newly constructed Sistine Chapel. Perugino’s early contributions to the chapel so impressed the pope that he was tasked with this central scene, later joined by a team of Florentine artists—including Botticelli and Ghirlandaio—to complete the chapel walls.

A Biblical Event Reimagined in a Classical World

The fresco illustrates a passage from the Gospel of Matthew (16:19), where Christ declares to Peter, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” Perugino stages the scene in a vast, idealized plaza reminiscent of Renaissance city planning, with a central octagonal temple framed by triumphal arches. The golden and silver keys—symbolizing heavenly and earthly authority—are gracefully handed to a kneeling Peter at the center of a symmetrical procession of apostles and contemporaries.

This is no ordinary religious narrative. With measured elegance, Perugino transforms a moment of divine command into a staged ceremony, echoing the grandeur of Roman imperial rites and Renaissance humanist ideals. Christ and Peter are surrounded by apostles, saints, and onlookers, some of whom bear striking resemblance to men of Perugino’s time—likely a nod to the connection between sacred history and present Church authority.

Among these is a presumed self-portrait of Perugino, fifth from the right—a quiet signature in a monumental work.

Architecture, Perspective, and Harmony

Perugino's use of one-point perspective is masterful. The vanishing point lies at the central doorway of the temple, drawing the viewer’s eye inward, suggesting not just architectural precision but spiritual convergence. The surrounding piazza is paved in geometrically arranged stones, reinforcing the sense of order and divine symmetry.

The temple itself, inspired by architectural writings of Leon Battista Alberti, stands as an allegory of the perfect Church—balanced, eternal, and rooted in classical tradition. Its shape and composition would later appear in Perugino’s Marriage of the Virgin and in Raphael’s own interpretation of the same theme.

On either side of the background, Perugino includes two scenes from Christ’s life: The Tribute Money and The Attempted Stoning, integrating narrative depth into the spatial grandeur.

Style and Symbolism

Each figure is delicately drawn with elegance and restraint. Flowing robes, idealized features, and serene expressions reveal the influence of Perugino’s mentor, Verrocchio, and hint at the emotional clarity that would later define High Renaissance art.

The keys—one silver, one gold—symbolize the dual authority to bind and loose in heaven and on earth, establishing Peter not only as a disciple, but as the first bishop of Rome, the very foundation upon which the Catholic Church would claim its legitimacy.

Legacy and Influence

This fresco is more than a religious artwork; it is a political statement, a theological diagram, and a visual manifesto of Renaissance ideals. Its clarity of form, architectural logic, and balanced figures deeply influenced future generations, especially the young Raphael, who trained in Perugino’s workshop.

Even beyond its artistic merit, the fresco held mystical significance. According to Vatican lore, the cell beneath this painting during papal conclaves was said to bring good fortune—three popes were reportedly elected after being housed beneath it.

The Delivery of the Keys is not just a masterpiece of technique and composition. It is a grand vision of divine order, a bold declaration of Church authority, and a cornerstone of Renaissance art. Standing before it, one doesn’t just see a fresco—you witness the handing over of heaven itself.