Detail of St. Catherine of Alexandria by Lorenzetti in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, July 2011

Saint Catherine of Alexandria,shortly after 1342

Object Details

Artist: Pietro Lorenzetti (Italian, active Siena 1320–44)

Date: shortly after 1342

Medium: Tempera on wood, gold ground

Dimensions: Overall 26 x 16 1/4 in. (66 x 41.3 cm); painted surface 24 1/2 x 16 1/4 in. (62.2 x 41.3 cm)

Classification: Paintings

Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1913

Accession Number: 13.212


Martyred for her attempt to convert the fourth-century pagan emperor Maximinus Daia, Saint Catherine of Alexandria is identified by her crown and regal attire. The panel belonged to an elaborate, two-tiered altarpiece. The figure combines the bulk and three-dimensionality of a work by Giotto or the sculptor Giovanni Pisano with the decorative brilliance for which Sienese painting is famous. The inscription at the top indicates that it was surmounted by a figure of Saint John the Evangelist. For more information about this painting, visit metmuseum.org.


Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/436908