Interior of Saint Peter's, Rome

Saint Peter’s awe-inspiring interior was an obligatory stop for pilgrims and tourists to Rome. Panini made numerous versions of this view for these visitors to take home, updating them in accordance with additions and alterations to the basilica over the decades of his career. The earliest version painted in 1730 for the French ambassador Cardinal Melchior de Polignac is today in the Musée du Louvre, Paris. The Met’s painting dates from over twenty years later, as indicated by the inclusion of statues of Saint Theresa of Avila and Saint Vincent de Paul erected in 1754 and seen in the first two niches on the right.