Jan Polack, St. Peter as Teacher

Circa 1492-95
Church of St. Peter, Munich

The triple tiara Peter wears is a symbol of the papacy. His count-your-fingers gesture is a conventional indicator of teaching. (See this page for other examples.) Given the role in which he is pictured, the artist has not included the usual keys attribute. The diversity in the portraits of the hearers emphasizes the universality of mission and authority claimed by the popes.

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Photographed at the church by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.