Pair of Dutch Oak Carved Portrait Panels of Christ and St. Peter

A finely carved pair of oval oak portrait panels depicting Christ and St. Peter. Each bust is presented in high relief within a moulded and beaded oval frame. Christ is shown with long hair, a full beard, and draped garments, his gaze calm and frontal, conveying serenity and divine presence. Opposite, St. Peter is depicted with balding curly hair and a short beard, clad in a simple tunic and cloak. Most poignantly, the sculptor has rendered tear tracks on his cheek — a rare and deliberate detail referencing the Lacrimae Petri (“the Tears of Peter”), symbolising his bitter weeping following the denial of Christ (Matthew 26:75).
The panels reflect the devotional culture of the Dutch Republic in the mid-17th century, when small-scale relief carvings were produced both for ecclesiastical settings and for private devotion within Catholic households. The restrained composition and naturalistic treatment of the faces are consistent with Northern European baroque carving of the period, balancing piety with a humanising realism.