Saint Catherine of Alexandria

Polychrome and gilded wooden sculpture

Lombardy, 1st half of the 16th century

Height 50cm

Excellent condition

We present a sixteenth-century wooden sculpture of extraordinary beauty, an exemplary model of Lombard sculptural art of the early Renaissance.

The protagonist is Saint Catherine of Alexandria, depicted in half-length portrait, with her typical iconographic attributes.

As usual she wears the crown on her head and is dressed in regal clothes to underline her princely origins.

With her right hand she holds her palm, symbol of her martyrdom, while with her left she holds the book, which recalls her wisdom.

The state of conservation of the polychromy and gilding give the work a truly splendid image. The excellent sculptural quality, highlighted by a perfect description of the vertical folds and a remarkable realism of the face and hands, is supported by a very fine polychromy and a magnificent extensive gilding. In fact, it is precisely the pictorial surface that gives the sculpture an effect of supernatural elegance and makes it so rare and precious.

The Author creates the figure of the Saint in a solemn and majestic pose, with a bearing that expresses grace and nobility.

It is a work of the highest level, of great charm, capable of impressing even the most demanding collector.