Benjamin West
St. Peter's First Sermon in the City of Jerusalem

St. Peter's First Sermon in the City of Jerusalem

Public Domain

St. Peter's First Sermon in the City of Jerusalem
ArtistAmerican, active England, 1738–1820
CultureAmerican
Titles
  • St. Peter's First Sermon in the City of Jerusalem
Datec. 1785
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsCanvas: 36 × 28 in. (91.4 × 71.1 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by the Long Endowment for American Art
Object number2018.126
Current Location
The Audrey Jones Beck Building
106 Cameron Gallery
On view

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Department
American Art
Object Type
DescriptionBenjamin West was the first colonial American artist to succeed internationally, becoming history painter to King George III and president of the Royal Academy, London. In 1779, George III commissioned West to redecorate the Royal Chapel at Windsor with biblical scenes. West produced this monochromatic painting in the process of developing one of the chapel's large wall paintings, "St. Peter's Preaching at Pentecost" (1785, Bob Jones University). It depicts Saint Peter giving the first sermon with the apostles behind him. A mother (thought to be modeled by West's wife, Elizabether) with two young children is seated at the front.
ProvenanceOffered by West’s Sons to the United States in 1826 (Document No. 8, 19th Congress, 2nd Session, House of Representatives, included among “Original Designs in Chiaro Scuro for the large Pictures which were painted for his late Majesty’s Chapel in Windsor Castle”), and sold by them, Robins, London, May 22-25, 1829, lot 127; bought by “Hayes”; E. and A Silberman Galleries, New York (c. 1949-62); Graham Gallery, New York, 1962-1991; Private Collection, New York, 1991- present; [Driscoll Babcock Gallery, New York]
Exhibition HistoryExhibition, 125 Pall Mall, London, 1814, No. 3

Exhibition, 125 Pall Mall, London, 1818, No. 5

West’s Gallery, 14 Newman Street, London, 1821 (St. Peter’s First Sermon (A Sketch)), No. 57.

Long-Term Loan, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (August 1991 – April 2015, #L.1991.78.1)

Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
none
none
Catalogue raisonnéHelmut Von Erffa and Allen Staley, The Paintings of Benjamin West (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1986), no. 386 (illustrated).

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