Saint Gregory the Great

Saint Gregory the Great — the sixth-century pope who consolidated church doctrine, reformed liturgical music, and sent Augustine to evangelize England — was a subject of sustained devotional interest in Catholic painting. Ricci's treatment, dating to around 1700, depicts the pope-saint in full pontifical vestments, likely attended by angels or the dove of the Holy Spirit, a standard iconographic formula established in Counter-Reformation art. The choice of Gregory also carried prestige for institutional patrons, as he was one of the four Latin Fathers of the Church and the patron of musicians.

Ricci renders the saint's white papal vestments with luminous highlights, contrasting with the deep reds of a cardinal's cape or altar cloth. The composition likely centers on Gregory in a devotional or visionary posture, with angelic presences in the upper register.