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The Mass of Saint Gregory
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Saint Gregory was a late 6th-century pope and one of the fathers of the early Roman Church. This painting depicts the popular legend in which Gregory once overheard an onlooker express doubts about Christ’s actual presence at the altar during mass. In response, the saint’s immense faith was rewarded by a vision of Christ surrounded by the instruments and symbols of his passion. Saint Gregory, vested in his chasuble, kneels in the center, flanked by priests who share his amazement. This painting was part of an altarpiece commissioned by Erhard Künig, a member of a charitable lay order for a monastery near Strassburg. Künig stands at the far right wearing a Maltese cross. The two wings of the altar, showing respectively Saint John the Evangelist and Saint John the Baptist, are in New York and Washington. Hans Baldung was both a painter and a printmaker and is regarded as one of the most gifted students of Albrecht Dürer.
| Artist / Maker | Hans Baldung |
|---|---|
| Date | 1511 |
| Culture / Origin | Germany, Strassburg, 16th century |
| Medium | oil and tempera on wood |
| Dimensions | Framed: 126 x 142.5 x 8.5 cm (49 5/8 x 56 1/8 x 3 3/8 in.); Unframed: 89.2 x 125 cm (35 1/8 x 49 3/16 in.) |
| Department | Medieval Art |
| Type | Painting |
About the Artist
BiographyHans Baldung (1480–1545) — German painter and printmaker (1484–1545).Hans Baldung worked as painter, illustrator, engraver, graphic designer and stained-glass artist and is associated with Germany. Their documented life spans the years 1480 to 1545, born in Schwäbisch Gmünd, died in Strasbourg. Their work is linked to German Renaissance.Disciplinespainter, illustrator, engraver, graphic designer, stained-glass artistBorn1480, Schwäbisch GmündDied1545, StrasbourgNationalityGermanyMovementGerman RenaissanceSources: Wikidata · Wikipedia Full biography →
Provenance & Source
Image & data: Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 / Public Domain.
Condition
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