The Mass of Pope Gregory panels (c. 1516) depict the Eucharistic miracle of Saint Gregory the Great, whose prayers to prove that the bread and wine of the Holy Communion were truly the body and blood of Christ were answered by the appearance of Jesus at the mass. The panels, which originally formed the outer doors of a 16th-century Italian altarpiece, were acquired by the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Connecticut in 1935. Though their commissioners are known – Laurent de Gorrevod and his wife, Claude de Rivoire, whose coats of arms appear at the top of the panels – the artist behind them remains a mystery. In this exhibition, the Atheneum seeks to uncover some of the secrets of the panels, including their maker, and provide insight into the intricate process of conservation (26 July–11 May 2025). Find out more from the Wadsworth Atheneum’s website.
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The Mass of Saint Gregory (c. 1516), artist unknown. Courtesy the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford