The transfer of ecclesiastical power to the apostles
Josef Tadeáš Rotter (1701–1763) ? | col. 1760 | oil on canvas, 171 × 416 cm
This monumental landscape canvas deals with one of the key moments in the genesis of the Church. It depicts Christ handing the keys to the Apostle Peter. It thus represents a symbolic expression of the Apostle Peter’s commission to the priestly and episcopal office, which he received at the hands of Christ, witnessed by the other Apostles. The two keys placed in Peter’s hand from the palm of Christ are an expression and confirmation of the act of legitimizing the Church, the organization of the Church hierarchy, and the mission of Christ’s followers. The motif of the Eucharist, emphasized by the red drapery, which together with Christ’s gesture with his left hand refers to his redemptive is situated in the center of the painting. The Blessed Sacrament is thus the centre of the painting, but also of the thoughts of Christ’s followers. The stylistic proximity to the work of Josef Tadeáš Rotter makes it possible to consider his authorship.