The plate was not part of any early collection or sale and is almost certainly not anymore in existence.

According to Münz this etching shows Saint Peter at the moment he is trying to return the keys of the church. But others think that the keys only identify the man as Saint Peter, regretting his betrayal of Jesus (Matthew 26, verses 74-75). The very light biting is similar to two other etchings from the same year (1645), The rest on the flight to Egypt (B 58) and Old man in meditation, leaning on a book (B147).

In Valerius Röver’s inventory (1731) this plate was referred to as Petrus met de sleutels…flauw geëtst.

Münz points at a painting by Rembrandt, now in the collection of Prince de Merode in Brussels (Bredius 607).

The New Hollstein, as almost all authors, lists one state only, impressions are always light and pale.
Rovinsky recognizes a 2nd state, but this is a later impression retouched with pen and ink, according to Hind.

There is an impression in Dresden with heavy reworking, probably a falsification. There are no impressions in the Recueils.
There may be some later impressions by Watelet.

Strasbourg lily (3 ed, 1646-48), Foolscap with five-pointed collar (1651-52), Foolscap ZZ.

H 217, BB 45-F, G 58, M 219, Mz 218, RA 304, Cl 99, W 101, Bl 67, Du 99, CD 170
Hinterding 2008, p. 208ff;