Prayer Bead with the Mass of Saint Gregory and the Virgin in Glory

early 16th century

Not on view

Returned to lender

This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.

The scenes are streamlined versions of those inside the large, terminal bead of the Rosary of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon, also in the exhibition. Yet this bead has distinct inscriptions, including one surrounding the image of the Virgin that compares her beauty to that of the city of Jerusalem, drawn from the Song of Solomon in the Bible.

Artwork Details

Overview

Exhibition History

Title: Prayer Bead with the Mass of Saint Gregory and the Virgin in Glory
Date: early 16th century
Culture: Netherlandish
Medium: Boxwood
Dimensions: Open: 3 3/8 × 1 5/8 × 7/8 in. (8.6 × 4.1 × 2.2 cm)
Classification: Sculpture-Miniature-Wood
Credit Line: Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, Massachusetts, Purchased with Funds realized from the sale of a work given by Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Rittmaster (Sylvian Goodkind, class of 1937) in 1958 (SC 1991:23)
Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters