On the Tuesday of Holy Week the readings at today’s Mass focus on the Jesus predicting the betrayal of Judas and the denial of Saint Peter.
The iconography of the image expresses the idea of the value of repentance personified in the example of Saint Peter who, at a crucial moment of the Passion, denies Christ three times before hearing the rooster crow, just as the Lord had said. The tears on his face convey a deep expression of grief and supplication for forgiveness.
Murillo painted variations on this theme throughout his life, of which this is the earliest known version. The long, impasto brushwork was a hallmark of his technique in the early 1650s, when he was influenced by Jusepe de Ribera.
The Arts of Golden Age Spain and the Hispanic World 