Roman school, second half of the 17th century., Roman school, second half of the 17th century. The Holy Communion of Pope Clement

Oil on canvas, 113 × 97cm

The painting shows extremely unusual and enigmatic iconography. The Pope kneels with his head bowed low in adoration of the Eucharist in front of the Holy Sacrament, which an angel lifts up for him in a monstrance. Heavenly light falls on the angel and the pope from above. The angel is dressed in a gold robe and a blue cloak. A putto next to him points out the monstrance to the Pope. Behind the Pope there is a table covered with a gold cloth, on which the tiara is placed and a table bell stands. On the right in the background, the evangelist Markus sits on a cloud, his left hand rests on the open book, the Gospel according to Mark, and he raises his right hand in astonishment at the sight of the monstrance. The strong colors of yellow, red and blue dominate the composition, as is often the case with high baroque paintings. Oil on canvas, 113 × 97cm