Handing over of the keys
The fresco is one of the artistic peaks of the cycle of the Sistine Chapel and is considered Perugino's masterpiece. The scene is dominated in the foreground by the episode of the handing over to Peter, on his knees before Christ, of the "keys of the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 16: 13-20), a symbol of sovereignty and therefore of the conferring of power on the first vicar of Christ on earth. In the background stands the Temple of Jerusalem, shown in Renaissance style as a domed octagonal construction flanked by two symmetrically placed triumphal arches which are imitations of that of Constantine in Rome. Two other Gospel episodes are shown in the background: the payment of the tribute (Matthew 17: 24-27) and the attempted stoning of Christ (John 8: 31-59; 10: 31-39), to which the inscription above refers ("CONTURBATIO IESU CHRISTI LEGISLATORIS"). The personage with the black beret and thick dark hair is usually recognized as being Perugino himself.