Lot Essay
We are grateful to Professor Terisio Pignatti and Filippo Pedrocco for confirming the attribution to Veronese after viewing the painting in the original. The present lot is sold with a letter from them dated Venice, November 12, 1991 which includes the following information.
Pignatti and Pedrocco include the present painting as an important addition to the artist's oeuvre and suggest a date around the 1580s. They compare numerous paintings of s similar date and style which support the attribution to Veronese.
The compositional design of single figure compositions, with upper and lower body in contorsion, can be compared with 'The Dream of Saint Helena' in the Vatican. They note that the delicate profile of the face as well as the blond curly hair touched in loose brush strokes is similar to that found in the 'Martyrdom of Saint Lucy' in the National Museum of Art, Washington D.C. and the 'Martrydom of Saint Catherine' in the Corsini collection, New York. Further comparisons can be made between the refined design of the gown with damasquine arabesques found in the present lot and the 'Saint Helena' mentioned above; and the green mantle ? with silvery traits on the plies in 'Lucretia', Vienna Museum.
Pignatti and Pedrecco also note that the illumination of the holy ghost is also peculiasr
ucretia' in the Vienna Museum, 'The Martyrdom of Saint Lucy' in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, and 'the Martyrdom of Saint Catherine' in the Corsini collection, New York.
In addition, the underdrawing seen in the x-rays of 'Saint Catherine' is comparable to that found in the x-rays of 'The Temptation of Saint Anthony' by Veronese in the Museum of Caen.
Although Saint Catherine, accompanied by her traditional attribute of a broken wheel, is commonly found in 16th and 17th century Italian painting, the story of her imprision is rarely illustrated. Catherine, having enraged the Emperor Maximin II, was imprisoned in a dungeon. During her imprison he sought to starve her into submission but angels brought her food, and she succeeded in converting the wife of the emperor and all her retinue.
Pignatti and Pedrocco will include the present lot in their forthcoming addendum to the catalogue raisonne on Veronese, which should appear at the end of 1992
Pignatti and Pedrocco include the present painting as an important addition to the artist's oeuvre and suggest a date around the 1580s. They compare numerous paintings of s similar date and style which support the attribution to Veronese.
The compositional design of single figure compositions, with upper and lower body in contorsion, can be compared with 'The Dream of Saint Helena' in the Vatican. They note that the delicate profile of the face as well as the blond curly hair touched in loose brush strokes is similar to that found in the 'Martyrdom of Saint Lucy' in the National Museum of Art, Washington D.C. and the 'Martrydom of Saint Catherine' in the Corsini collection, New York. Further comparisons can be made between the refined design of the gown with damasquine arabesques found in the present lot and the 'Saint Helena' mentioned above; and the green mantle ? with silvery traits on the plies in 'Lucretia', Vienna Museum.
Pignatti and Pedrecco also note that the illumination of the holy ghost is also peculiasr
ucretia' in the Vienna Museum, 'The Martyrdom of Saint Lucy' in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, and 'the Martyrdom of Saint Catherine' in the Corsini collection, New York.
In addition, the underdrawing seen in the x-rays of 'Saint Catherine' is comparable to that found in the x-rays of 'The Temptation of Saint Anthony' by Veronese in the Museum of Caen.
Although Saint Catherine, accompanied by her traditional attribute of a broken wheel, is commonly found in 16th and 17th century Italian painting, the story of her imprision is rarely illustrated. Catherine, having enraged the Emperor Maximin II, was imprisoned in a dungeon. During her imprison he sought to starve her into submission but angels brought her food, and she succeeded in converting the wife of the emperor and all her retinue.
Pignatti and Pedrocco will include the present lot in their forthcoming addendum to the catalogue raisonne on Veronese, which should appear at the end of 1992