Saint Gregory The Great In Eucharistic Vision – Angel Wearing The Papal Tiara – Italy, 16th Century

Saint Gregory the Great in Eucharistic Vision

Italy, late 16th – early 17th century (c. 1580–1620) Oil on canvas Dimensions: 107 cm × 65 cm (unframed)

This large oil on canvas depicts Saint Gregory the Great (Gregory I, Pope from 590 to 604), captured in an attitude of intense prayer before a heavenly Eucharistic vision. The saint is kneeling, his hands clasped, turned toward a radiant and flaming monstrance appearing in the heavens, surrounded by two angels.

At his feet, a putto presents the papal tiara, humbly placed on the ground, a major symbol of Gregorian spirituality: the pope who renounces pomp to dedicate himself entirely to God. The double-barred crosier, the white cap, and the short beard reinforce this clear identification.

The gilded cope, sumptuously embroidered with human figures, testifies to the Italian textile expertise of the late Renaissance and evokes the prestigious liturgical vestments used by popes in 16th- and 17th-century art.

The work exhibits all the characteristics of late Italian Mannerism (circa 1580–1610), a transitional period between the Renaissance and the first hints of the Baroque:

a warm yet still restrained palette (ochres, muted greens, ferruginous reds),

soft modeling, without dramatic chiaroscuro,

graceful cherubs, still Mannerist in their proportions,

a mystical vision inspired by the post-Tridentine period,

and the absence of late Baroque exuberance. This Eucharistic iconography—exalting the Real Presence—appeared precisely in the decades following the Council of Trent (1563) and flourished in Jesuit circles from 1580 onward.

The painting is stylistically characteristic of the production of northern Italy: Venice, Emilia, and Bologna, with possible affinities to the circles of:

Paolo Fiammingo,

the early pupils of Padovanino, and

the Emilian-Venetian masters active around 1580–1620.

With its substantial dimensions (107 × 65 cm), this canvas was most likely intended for:

a private chapel,

an aristocratic oratory, or

the sacristy of a convent.

Its narrow vertical format is typical of Italian devotional works of the late 16th century.

CONDITION

Oil on old canvas.

Wear and rubbing, primarily in the upper area. Stable, re- lined canvas, mounted on a later stretcher.

RECOMMENDED FOR:

collectors of sacred art,

lovers of late Renaissance and early Baroque Italian painting,

chapels and places of worship,

liturgical or oratory-inspired decor,

specialized galleries.

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