The Mass of Saint Gregory the Great

While he was celebrating Mass, Pope Gregory the Great became aware that a member of the congregation doubted the real presence of Christ in the sacrament, and prayed for a sign that would leave no room for doubt. Christ appeared above the altar as the Man of Sorrows, showing his wounds and surrounded by the instruments of the Passion; Gregory, the first to perceive the vision, kneels in reverence with his hands spread, while the celebrants around him remain unaware of the miracle. Adriaen Ysenbrandt, a master in the Bruges painters’ and saddlemakers’ guild from 1510 and a painter associated with the workshop of Gerard David, made this small panel — among the most impressive of the works attributed to him — with the softly modelled heads and enamel-like finish characteristic of Bruges painting in the generation after Memling. The panel, 36.2 × 29.2 cm, is held by the J. Paul Getty Museum.