Description
The painting The Liberation of Peter is one of the most famous works by the Spanish Baroque artist Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, which was painted around 1667 and is currently in the National Gallery in London.
The work depicts an episode from the New Testament in which the Apostle Peter is miraculously released from prison by an angel sent by God. In the painting, Peter is kneeling on the ground as the angel frees him from his chains. The heavenly light emanating from the angel and the astonished expression on Peter's face are some of the details that make this work so impressive.
Furthermore, The Liberation of Peter is considered one of the most influential paintings of the Spanish Baroque and has been imitated and reproduced on numerous occasions. It is also known that the French painter Eugène Delacroix, one of the most important of the 19th century, considered it one of his favorite works and was inspired by it for some of his own creations.
Another interesting fact about The Liberation of Peter by Murillo is that the painting was acquired by the National Gallery in London in 1826, thanks to the bequest of the British collector and founder of the gallery, John Julius Angerstein. Since then, it has been one of the most outstanding pieces in the gallery's collection and has been exhibited in numerous exhibitions and art shows worldwide.
Furthermore, Murillo is known to have created several versions of this painting, including a version found in the Prado Museum in Madrid and another found in the National Museum of Fine Arts in Havana, Cuba. Each of these versions has some differences in composition and detail, showing Murillo's ability to reinterpret his own work and create something new each time he painted it.