Diptych with the Nativity and the Mass of Saint Gregory
Among the more than 130 miniature boxwood carvings that have survived, this is the only diptych. While the subjects are not unusual, the inscriptions are particularly complex, drawing on the writings of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux and other theologians.
By tradition, it is said that this piece belonged to Queen Christina of Spain in the nineteenth century. It may reflect her Habsburg ancestors’ taste for miniature boxwood carvings from the Netherlands, a territory they ruled at the beginning of the sixteenth century.
By tradition, it is said that this piece belonged to Queen Christina of Spain in the nineteenth century. It may reflect her Habsburg ancestors’ taste for miniature boxwood carvings from the Netherlands, a territory they ruled at the beginning of the sixteenth century.
Artwork Details
- Title: Diptych with the Nativity and the Mass of Saint Gregory
- Date: early 16th century
- Culture: Netherlandish
- Medium: Boxwood
- Dimensions: Open: 3 1/4 × 3 1/2 × 9/16 in. (8.3 × 8.9 × 1.5 cm)
Closed: 3 1/4 × 1 3/4 × 1 1/4 in. (8.3 × 4.5 × 3.2 cm) - Classification: Sculpture-Miniature-Wood
- Credit Line: Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
- Object Number: 17.190.476
- Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters
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