Two Brothers, One Boat
In the Italian Gothic masterpiece “The Calling of Sts. Peter and Andrew” by the Italian master Duccio (c.1311), we find a magnificent piece of art that contains volumes of meaning compressed into a single sacred image. Primarily it depicts an important event described in the Gospels; but it also is a multi-layered image of the relationship between the East and the West.
We see Christ standing on the shore speaking to two fishermen standing upright in a boat. These two men are St. Peter on the left and St. Andrew on the right. Both are depicted according to their traditional typologies: Peter has short, cropped white hair with a bald spot on top and a short white beard, while Andrew has long white hair and long white beard. Instantly these two characters are recognizable to Christians of both the East and the West because the iconographic language here has largely been maintained. But stare at the image longer and more details will jump out at you.
Exteriority and Interiority of Peter and Andrew
Peter is standing faced towards the shore with his right hand raised up, as if he were about to respond to the call, while holding on to the net with his left hand, as if to bring in the net. Meanwhile, Andrew seems focused on the net, pulling it in with both hands and turns his head only slightly, as if interrupted by the voice from the shore.
Peter is wearing a blue tunic while Andrew wears a red tunic. These correspond to the colors of Christ’s garments. Christ is wearing a red tunic underneath his blue toga. (This color scheme also is widely maintained -but not strictly- historically throughout the iconography of both East and West.) Visually this connects Peter with Christ’s outer garment, and Andrew with Christ’s inner garment.
Look at the shape of the boat itself, and you will see that the left end of the boat (on Peter’s side) is pointed in a linear way towards Christ like an arrow, while the right end (Andrew’s side) is curved in on itself and points to Christ like a spiral.
Together with the posture of these two Apostles and the colors of the garments, this suggests that Peter is related to exteriority, outward orientation, and linearity while Andrew is representative of interiority, reflection, and curved-ness.
It may be beneficial to recall here that these associations align well with their characterization in the four Gospels. Peter is often represented in the Gospels as erratic, jumping feet first in every situation, eager to speak straight to the point and often too soon. On the other hand, Andrew is first a disciple of St. John the Forerunner (the Baptist) and then in obedience is sent by him to follow Christ. Although brothers, Andrew is depicted in the Gospels as obedient and reflective in contrast to his brother Peter.
There is a subtle clue in this image that shows in fact that the artist is not actually attempting to recreate a historically accurate scene. In the Gospels, it is recorded that Andrew heard the call first and then ran to get his brother Peter and bring him to Christ as well. Nevertheless, in this image, they are both hearing the call at the same time, as suggested in the Gospel of John, which reveals the artist’s intention to reveal the hidden meaning of the calling of these two brothers rather than taking a photograph of the historical event. Regardless, the image contains even more layers of symbolism in the depiction of their hair.
Spiritual Descendants of Peter and Andrew
It is important to remember here that St. Peter is recognized as the first Bishop and Patriarch of Rome, while St. Andrew is remembered as the first Bishop and Patriarch of Byzantium / Constantinople. The Latin and Greek churches that sprang from these two brothers each continued to carry on their founder’s spirit and unique characteristics.
Turn again to the painting by Duccio above and see that Andrew has long hair and long bear while Peter is depicted in short hair with a bald spot on top of his head. This unique haircut is associated with the monastic tonsure of the Western Church, and used almost universally until the 20th century among the Latin monks. (There are several monasteries that still maintain this ancient tradition.1)
Spiritual descendant of St. Peter - Western monk sporting a traditional Latin tonsure haircut. (source: https://www.liturgicalartsjournal.com/2020/09/la-garde-traditional-benedictine.html)
On the other side of the boat, Andrew is presented with long hair and long beard. This is the traditional hairstyle of the monks and priests of the Eastern Church, which is maintained ubiquitously to the present day. Even in their hairstyles, it is as if this image by Duccio captures the dichotomy between East and West in a remarkably coherent and succinct way.
Spiritual descendant of St. Andrew - Greek hieromonk sporting a long beard and presumedly long hair under his hood at St. Catherine’s Monastery in Sinai. (source: https://www.loc.gov/item/2019700055/)
Two brothers, one boat
It cannot be overstated that the masterpiece by Duccio, aside from showing the uniqueness of Peter and Andrew, also shows their solidarity. They are after all brothers! They are both fishermen pulling in one net, being called to be fishers-of-men by the one King-fisher-of-men. Goodness, they are in one and the same boat for crying out loud!
The boat throughout Eastern and Western iconography is emblematic of the Church. There are many, many references throughout Scripture and Tradition that make this symbolism clear. The Ark of Noah is likened to the Church by Church Fathers, as is the Barque of Peter during the calming of the sea. The vessel that carries Christ and His Apostles is the Church.
16th century Greek icon of the Calming of the Sea (source: https://russianicons.wordpress.com/tag/stilling-the-storm-icon/)
Miguel Salazar is a frequent participant in our second-Monday book discussions, where he always contributes insights and humor to a lively conversation. He’s now writing as Hungry Coyote on Substack, where this article first appeared.