1511
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
The Mass of Saint Gregory is a 1511 unspecified by Hans Baldung Grien, a Northern Renaissance work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
A pope kneels in golden robes while a vision of Christ appears above the altar. Priests around him gasp, hands raised in shock. This painting shows a miracle story from the 500s—when the pope’s faith made Christ visible during mass. Hans Baldung painted it in Strasbourg, where the church was changing fast. The bright colors and sharp lines make the holy scene feel almost real. If you like how light and shadow play here, look up chiaroscuro.
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…
Saint Gregory was a 6th-century pope and one of the fathers of the early Roman church. The artist, Hans Baldung, chose to depict the historical legend of Gregory's vision in a scene reminiscent of his own time period, 900 years after this pope actually lived.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Hans Baldung (1484 or 1485 – September 1545), called Hans Baldung Grien, (being an early nickname, because of his predilection for the colour green), was a painter, printer, engraver, draftsman, and stained glass…
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