The Mass of Saint Basil
Pierre Hubert Subleyras
1746 · Oil on canvas, transferred from canvas · European Paintings
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.
- Artist
- Pierre Hubert Subleyras
- Date
- 1746
- Medium
- Oil on canvas, transferred from canvas
- Department
- European Paintings
- Credit line
- Wrightsman Fund, 2007
