Simon Frisius (Dutch, c. 1580–1629)
after Jan Gossaert (Flemish, 1478–1532)
The Mass of Saint Gregory
INV-2648
Simon Frisius (Dutch, c. 1580–1629)
after Jan Gossaert (Flemish, 1478–1532)c. 1615
The Mass of Saint Gregory
Simon Frisius (Dutch, c. 1580–1629) after Jan Gossaert (Flemish, 1478–1532) →printpaper
Date
c. 1615
Medium
Etching on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Sheet (trimmed): 38.8 × 54.2 cm (15 5/16 × 21 3/8 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Charles Hack and the Hearn Family Trust Collection, purchased with funds provided by the Harry B. and Bessie K. Braude Memorial, Amanda S. Johnson and Marion J. Livingston, anonymous, and Suzanne Searle Dixon endowment funds
According to Christian legend, while celebrating Mass, Pope Gregory I prayed for a sign to convince a doubting congregant about transubstantiation—the belief that the consecrated bread and wine are the flesh and blood of Jesus, a central tenet of the Catholic faith. Here, Christ is shown miraculously appearing above the altar at right, in front of Gregory kneeling amid his startled congregation. Although the original model for the print is lost, an inscription on the plate notes that Simon Frisius created the etching based on a design by Jan Gossaert, a Netherlandish painter who was active almost 100 years earlier.