The Tears of Saint Peter  1589

Painted in 1580s, this is the first of several versions of the subject by El Greco. It came from the collection of the Conde de Quinto and was purchased reluctantly by John Bowes in 1869 for 200 francs (about £8). El Greco's work was little appreciated at the time. According to Saint Luke's Gospel, Saint Peter denied Jesus on the night before his death, thus fulfilling C...