Spanish Mannerist school; towards the second half of the 16th century. "Quo vadis". Oil on panel. Engatillada. Measurements: 123 x 79 cm. This work represents one of the best known and most represented scenes from the life of St. Peter, although it is based on non-canonical textual sources. The apocryphal text known as the Acts of Peter, probably written in Greek around the 2nd century, tells how, in the midst of Nero's persecution, the apostle, frightened, decides to flee Rome and escapes along the Appian Way. On leaving Rome, Jesus appears to him, carrying a cross. Peter then questions Christ with the well-known phrase "Quo vadis, domine?", literally "Where are you going, Lord?", to which Jesus replies that, as Peter flees, refusing martyrdom, he has decided to take it up again, and sets off for Rome, to be crucified a second time. Christ's sacrifice then shames Peter, who returns to Rome and assumes his martyrdom, which will certainly be crucifixion, but face down, so as not to be on a par with his master. In the scene, the apostle and Christ are in the foreground, facing the viewer. Peter's gesture is one of surprise at the appearance of Jesus, while the latter, dressed entirely in white, as is customary in the apparitions after the Ascension, resignedly carries the great cross of his martyrdom. Behind the two figures is a large panoramic landscape in Flemish style. The ensemble must have been of considerable size, as the present piece must have occupied one of the "streets" or side sections, probably accompanied by other narrative scenes flanking a central image of St. Peter enthroned or, perhaps, a carving of the saint. It is likely that the original altarpiece would have occupied the main altar of a parish church. Both the treatment of the landscape and that of the clothing, with abundant folds with a rigid, "starched" appearance, indicate the assumption and adaptation of the contributions of Spanish Mannerist painting.