All Artworks
Three executioners strain to raise the cross bearing the elderly Peter, who requested to be crucified upside down, unworthy to die as Christ did.
Significance
Caravaggio focuses on the physical labor of the execution rather than spiritual transcendence. The composition's diagonal thrust creates unbearable tension as the cross rises.
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
230 cm × 175 cm
Location
Cerasi Chapel, Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome, Italy