Rogier van der Weyden: The Dream of Pope Sergius I (1430)

(The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, California, USA)

The painting by the  Early Netherlandish painter Rogier van der Weyden (1399/1400-1464) was propably a part of a larger altarpiece, dedicated to Saint Hubertus. this painting, together with "The Exhumation of Saint Hubertus" (now in the National Gallery, London) were probably the wings of the altarpiece. This paintings shows Pope Sergius I (papacy of 687-701) sleeping inside a building. An angel appears to Sergius in his sleep and tells him that Saint Lambert, the bishop of Maastricht, has been assassinated and Sergius should appoint Saint Hubertus as the new bishop (the angel holds a bishop's miter and crozier formerly belonging to Saint Lambert). To the right the Pope and two cardinals are leaving the building, a lawyer or noble and a Franciscan friar, both kneel before the papal retinue and present petitions requesting benefits. Further to the right, in de distance, the papal retinue are at the early Saint Peter's Cathedral. Pope Sergius presents Saint Hubertus with the bishop's miter and staff. Painting from around 1430.