Peter Denies Jesus

Gustave Doré · 1866 (designs for La Sainte Bible, Tours); this printing 1873–1874
National Library of Poland, Warsaw

Pannemaker, whose name is at the lower right, cut this night scene. The whole plate is lit from below by a small fire on the ground, so the faces glow and long shadows climb the wall and the staircase behind.

Peter sits by the fire wrapped in his cloak, one hand on his chest, the other pushing the words away. A young woman leans toward him and points; men around stare at him. At the top of the stairs a soldier in armor looks down, and a boy stands at the left.

From the text

“Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came up to him” (Matthew 26:69)

“I do not know what you are talking about.” (Matthew 26:70)

“your accent gives you away” (Matthew 26:73)

The artist’s own

A fire on the ground, which Matthew does not mention but Mark does (Mark 14:54)

A soldier in armor on the stairs

A boy among the servants around the fire

Details

Peter

Gray-bearded, he raises his hand as if to deny.

The servant girl

She leans toward him and points.

The fire

Its glow lights the faces from below.

The soldier

A man in armor looks down from the top of the stairs.

Gustave Doré, French, 1832–1883. National Library of Poland (Biblioteka Narodowa), Warsaw — «Pismo Święte Starego i Nowego Testamentu», vol. 2, Warsaw: M. Glücksberg, 1874 (acc. 75.267 A) · Wood engraving after Gustave Doré’s design · National Library of Poland (Polona): the record of the volume gives the licence «Domena Publiczna» (Public Domain), «copyrightProtected»: false; the scan was uploaded to Wikimedia Commons by the library itself («Polona Upload», GLAM-Wiki partnership: “This file was uploaded to Wikimedia Commons as part of a GLAM-Wiki partnership between the National Library of Poland and Wikimedia Polska”), linking its Polona record.

The verses

Matt 26:69–75Meanwhile, Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came up to him. “You also were with Jesus the Galilean,” she said. But he denied it before them all: “I do not know what you are talking about.” When Peter had gone out to the gateway, another servant girl saw him and said to the people there, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man!” After a little while, those standing nearby came up to Peter. “Surely you are one of them,” they said, “for your accent gives you away.” At that he began to curse and swear to them, “I do not know the man!” And immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.