Galerie Dreyfus
57
-
MYSTICAL MASTER OF SAINT CATHERINE
Tuscan work, c.
See original version (French)
57
-
MYSTICAL MASTER OF SAINT CATHERINE
Tuscan work, c.
See original version (French)
Estimate €36,000 - €45,000
Voluntary lot
Description
MYSTICAL MASTER
OF SAINT CATHERINE
Tuscan work, c. 1380
Tempera and gold on panel
96 x 62 cm
Expert Assessment
Published by Federico Zeri, one of the foremost historians of 15th-century Italian art (catalogue
reference: Zeri no. 7408).
Zeri confirms the work’s significance and dates its creation to the 14th-century Tuscan art scene, without
definitively settling on whether it is of Sienese or Pisan origin – a testament to the stylistic richness
of the piece.
The finesse of the faces, the worked gold, and the delicacy of the gestures and drapery clearly support
an attribution to a master active between Siena and Pisa, two artistic centres whose influence is
fully evident in the composition.
Provenance
Formerly in the G. Sterbini collection
Lupi Collection
Private collection, Rome
This remarkable painting, radiant with spirituality and refinement, is one of those
rare and precious examples of the Italian Trecento. Painted in the 14th century by a Tuscan master –
whose style oscillates with finesse between the influences of Siena and Pisa – it embodies the very
essence of Italian Gothic painting: an art in which the sacred becomes light, where gold is
not mere decoration but theology, and where every gesture is a symbol. The work depicts a moment
of profound mystical intensity: the Spiritual Marriage of Saint Catherine of Alexandria. On
the left, the young saint, richly adorned and holding a book symbolising wisdom, bows with
grace before the Infant Jesus. Seated on the Virgin’s lap, the Child places the
wedding ring on her finger – a sacred gesture sealing the union of the Christian soul with the divine. The Virgin,
enthroned in the centre, gentle and solemn, extends her hand to guide the sacred act, lending the
scene an inner harmony, almost silent, yet vibrant with presence.
The finely embossed gold backgrounds are not mere ornamentation: they elevate the scene
beyond time, abolishing earthly space to open up that of the sacred vision. The faces,
delicately modelled, bear witness to an emerging naturalism, characteristic of the transition
from Byzantine iconography to Gothic sensibility. The deep blue drapery of the Virgin,
the sumptuousness of Catherine’s fabric, the subtlety of the skin tones – all combine to make this
panel a work of great spiritual elegance. This painting is large for its time.
At 96 cm in height, it exceeds the format usually found in
14th-century devotional paintings, which were often much more modest in size. Its state of preservation, together with its distinguished
provenance – the Sterbini Collection, the Lupi Collection, and an important private Roman collection – makes
it a historical and museum-quality artefact, worthy of the finest collections of Italian sacred art.
A testament to history and devotion
Through this mystical union, the artist depicts the perfect fusion of faith and beauty. One
senses gentleness, tenderness and humanity, but also the grandeur of the sacred. This work is
not merely a painting: it is a visual relic, a fragment of an era, a message from the
14th century that has travelled through more than six centuries to reach us today.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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