Saint Catherine of Siena
1510/15
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.)
Classification
tempera
Department
Painting and Sculpture of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
25778
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
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 o...