Cornelius kneeling before Saint Peter at Caesarea

The subject is taken from the New Testament (Acts 10: 24) and shows the Roman centurion Cornelius kneeling before Saint Peter during the latter's visit to his home in Caesarea. In his 1981 monograph of the artist, Marcel Roethlisberger wrote, 'the picture is a masterpiece, in very good condition', and that it is the only known treatment of this unusual subject in Breenbergh's oeuvre (loc. cit.). According to Roethlisberger, prior to the painting being cleaned in 1971, the date was not visible, and indeed the duct of the 'A' and the date both appear to be strengthened. While it now reads '1653', Roethlisberger considered the painting to be closer to the artist's works of circa 1633 or the mid-1630s on stylistic grounds.