The Mass of Saint Gregory1511 · Study 1952.112

Context from the museum

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.

Museum description reproduced from its CC0 open-access record. Read the original catalog entry.

A detail to notice

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.

Observation supplied by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected unframed measurement for The Mass of Saint Gregory is 125 cm wide and 89.2 cm high, equivalent to approximately 49.2 × 35.1 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 1.40:1. The rectangular bounding area is 1.11 square meters; it describes the measured footprint, not the amount of paint or the monetary value.

On an illustrative 300 cm wall, the recorded width occupies 41.7% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 87.5 cm on each side before adding a frame. These are calculations by Physical Art For Crypto using museum measurements. They are not the museum’s display recommendations.

Questions to bring to your own collection

With The Mass of Saint Gregory in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, oil and tempera on wood, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this horizontal composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 125 cm width still suit the space after allowing for furniture and a frame?
• What surface detail would you need to see in person or in a close photograph?