Modena, St. Peter Church
"Altar of the Statues" by Antonio Begarelli

The large Ancona, better known as the Altar of the Statues or as the funerary monument of its creator, Antonio Begarelli "il Modana," is undoubtedly the largest work by the great Modenese sculptor. It was commissioned by the Benedictine friars of the adjacent monastery for the main altar, but for reasons unknown to us, it was placed in the right nave.
Completed between 1551 and 1565, the year of Begarelli's death, some parts were completed by his nephew Ludovico Begarelli. Although in poor condition, many parts of the work still show the white of the original kaolin coating with which Begarelli "dressed" his statues to ennoble the humble terracotta, making it resemble the marble of classical sculptures.
At the bottom are the four statues of Saints Geminiano, Peter, Paul, and Benedict. St. Peter is captured in the act of pointing, high up in the clouds, to the Madonna and Child in a triumph of Angels and Cherubim.