Frame: Italian early 17th century reverse cassetta profile frame Gift of the Friends of the Institute and the John R. Van Derlip Fund 90.62. This painting illustrates a New Testament passage. A young maidservant accused the apostle Peter, in the yellow cloak, of knowing Jesus Christ. Fearing for his own safety, Peter denied the acquaintance. While working in Italy, the Dutch artist Gerrit van Honthorst earned the nickname "Gerard of the Night" for his dramatically lit night scenes. Like the Italian artist Caravaggio, whom he admired, Honthorst constructed psychologically intense paintings through the use of strong contrasts of light and shadow, close-ups of large plebeian figures, and expressive hand gestures.