The Mass of Saint Gregory

This finely-painted work depicts a scene from the life of Saint Gregory the Great (c. 540-604), one of the four Latin Fathers of the Church. According to the legend, once while serving a Mass, Saint Gregory became aware that a member of the congregation had doubted the truth of the miraculous transubstantiation of the Host, by which it becomes the body of Christ to be shared in Communion. Gregory prayed for a sign and a vision of the crucified Christ appeared above the altar, displaying his wounds and instruments of the Passion.

The present work likely dates to the first decade of the sixteenth century. The distinctive treatment of the mille-fleur carpet in the foreground, along with compositional parallels to depictions of this scene in found in manuscript illuminations, suggests that the artist responsible for this small panel was of Northern French or Flemish origin.

We are grateful to Till-Holger Borchert for suggesting the attribution on the basis of images (written communication, 29 March 2022).