The motif of the painting is from the Gospels (Mt 26, 75; Mk 14, 72; Lk 22, 61–62) and represents Saint Peter. We recognise him by his attribute, the keys to heaven and earth, which are the symbol of his power to bind and loosen.

The apostle is weeping: he is repenting because he has denied Jesus, denied ever knowing him. On a broken column at the left stands a rooster – Christ had foretold Peter that he would deny him before the cock crowed.

The style of this important picture is characteristic of painting in Bologna in the first half of the 17th century and is obviously indebted to the art of Lodovico Carracci. Some comparable elements suggest Alessandro Tiarini (Bologna 1577–Bologna 1668), but it is impossible to dispel all doubt. This picture was probably created by one of the minor imitators of the Carraccis in Bologna whose identity we have not yet been able to establish.