Explore the Description of this artwork.
Saint Peter is depicted as a classical philosopher, with a beard and dressed in a toga and cloak. With his left arm, he holds a book, while in his right hand he carries his typical attribute of keys (in bronze, perhaps not original). The statue looks towards the left, toward the main street of via de' Calzaiuoli.  
The statue was carved in high-quality marble, not porous, that guaranteed its better conservation, compared to the rest of the series at Orsanmichele. The marble's hardness prevented it from absorbing the oils spread on marble statues at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th century to make them look like bronzes. The statue is the only one in the series where no traces of gilding were found. It is thought not to have had any at its making, while it was made with some metal elements, like the studs of Saint Peter's book.
Orsanmichele Peter Saint Peter