The Mass of Saint Gregory [recto]

c. 1490

French 15th Century

Associated Names
French 15th Century

Artist

The image shows two figures within a religious setting. One figure is a standing man with long hair and a beard, standing behind a barrier. The other figure is kneeling, wearing ornate vestments resembling a papal tiara. Several other figures are partially visible behind them, all wearing long garments. Religious objects such as a chalice and liturgical books are also present on the altar. The background features arches supported by columns. The scene is framed by detailed lines and bordered by Latin text at the bottom.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    woodcut, hand-colored in red, yellow, cinnamon, lilac, possibly with stencil

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 24.2 × 17.5 cm (9 1/2 × 6 7/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.611.a

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Schreiber, Vol. *, no. 1463, State a

Associated Artworks

The Mass of Saint Gregory [verso]

French 15th Century

1490

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Martin Aufhäuser [1875-1944], Munich, Holland, and Los Angeles; [1] Lessing J. Rosenwald, Jenkintown, PA; gift to NGA, 1943.
[1] For complete information on Aufhäuser's collection, see Rosenwald Papers, box 9, and Richard S. Field, Fifteenth Century Woodcuts and Metalcuts, Washington, D.C., 1965, Preface (np).

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1941

  • The First Century of Printmaking 1400-1500, The Art Institute of Chicago, 1941, no. 34.

1955

  • French Woodcuts, Engravings and Books of the 15th and Early 16th Centuries, The Davison Art Center, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, 1955.

1956

  • Selected Prints from the Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection, City Art Museum, St. Louis, MO, 1956.

1960

  • Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 1960, no cat.

1965

  • Fifteenth-Century Woodcuts and Metalcuts from the Collection of the National Gallery of Art, NGA, 1965-1966, no. 229, repro.

Bibliography

1926

  • Schreiber, Wilhelm Ludwig. Handbuch de Holz- und Metailschnitte des XV Jahrhunderts. 8 vols. Leipzig: Verlag Karl W. Hierseman, 1926-1930.

1965

  • Field, Richard S. Fifteenth Century Woodcuts and Metalcuts from the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.. Exh. cat. Washington: National Gallery of Art, 1965: no. 229.

1995

  • Netzer, Nancy and Virginia Reinburg. Memory and the Middle Ages, Boston College Museum of Art, 1995: fig. 15.

Wikidata ID

Q64953068

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