UNKNOWN MASTER, Italian
(active in the 1270s in Rome)

Pope Nicholas III Presented to Christ by Sts Peter and Paul (east wall, left)

1278-79
Fresco
Sancta Sanctorum, Lateran Palace, Rome

The papal donor, his physiognomy sharply outlined, kneels in full vestments between Peter and Paul. Of the two intercessors, Paul is touching the pope's shoulder with his right hand, while his left hand points to him by way of presentation. Peter grasps with both hands a model of the chapel that the donor is offering, turning to face not the donor but Christ.