Saint Catherine of Siena
Spagna, Lo
1510–1515
- Medium
- Tempera and oil on panel
- Dimensions
- 107.8 × 50.3 cm (42 1/2 × 19 3/4 in.); Framed: 118.2 × 61.6 × 10.2 cm (46 1/2 × 24 1/4 × 4 in.)
- Genre
- tempera
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago
Styles
Tags
religionoil paintings (visual works)paintingreligious attirepaintChicago World's Fairsbooks16th CenturywomanCentury of Progressreligious figuresoil on panelplant materialDevotionpanel paintingoil paint (paint)painting (image making)crucifixionspainting techniquesflowersItalianSaintsRenaissancewood (plant material)landscapeChristian subjectssixteenth centuryreligiousstigmataworld's fairsSaint Catherinelandscapesorganic materialbushesoil paintingtreespanel (wood)european paintingChristianitytemperabiblesNature
About
This panel represents Catherine Benincasa of Siena, one of the most influential women of the late Middle Ages. Affiliated with the Dominican order, she was renowned for her devotion to the poor and sick as well as for her mystical visions. In one such vision, she saw herself marked with Christ’s wounds from his crucifixion, known as the stigmata. These marks are faintly visible on the backs of her hands in this painting and help identify her. The artist, called Lo Spagna, was a gifted follower of Perugino, whose work is on view nearby.