Oil on canvas, 66cm by 81.5cm.
This subject is a popular one in Christian art.
It can relate to a vision had by either St. Catherine of Alexandria or St. Catherine of Siena, in which each consecrates herself to Christ, usually portrayed as a child in his mother’s arms.
The former St. Catherine, as here, is shown richly attired, and often with a martyr’s palm and the wheel of her martyrdom.
The latter is depicted as a Dominican nun.
The artist moved from the Abruzzo to Venice where he became a follower of the great Renaissance masters Titian (c1488/90 -1576) and Paolo Veronese (1528-1588).
