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The Mass of Saint Basil

1746
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 627
This is Subleyras’s highly finished proposal, or modello, for his most important commission: a design that would be translated into an enormous mosaic altarpiece for Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Subleyras depicts Saint Basil the Great (ca. 330–379) celebrating Mass in the presence of the Emperor Valens (328–378). The artist’s exceptional ability to depict white in all its tonal range is evident in the robes of the priests who surround Basil as he receives wine for Communion. The young emperor, picked out by his bright red cape, swoons dramatically in response to what he witnesses.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Mass of Saint Basil
  • Artist: Pierre Hubert Subleyras (French, Saint-Gilles-du-Gard 1699–1749 Rome)
  • Date: 1746
  • Medium: Oil on canvas, transferred from canvas
  • Dimensions: 54 x 31 1/8 in. (137 x 79 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Wrightsman Fund, 2007
  • Object Number: 2007.166
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

More Artwork

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San Bendetto resuscita un fanciullo, Pierre Hubert Subleyras French, Etching
San Bendetto resuscita un fanciullo
Pierre Hubert Subleyras
18th century
The Serpent of Airan, Pierre Hubert Subleyras French, Etching
The Serpent of Airan
Pierre Hubert Subleyras
18th century
The Banquet in the House of Simon the Pharisee
Pierre Hubert Subleyras
1738
The presentation at the temple and a familiar scene, volume 4, plate 302 from "Monuments des Arts du Dessin"
Multiple artists/makers
1829
St. Benedict Resuscitating an Infant, Pierre Hubert Subleyras French, Black chalk, heightened with white, on gray-green paper
St. Benedict Resuscitating an Infant
Pierre Hubert Subleyras
ca. 1745

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