Saint Catherine of Alexandria
c. 1335/1340
Medium
tempera on panel
Dimensions
painted surface (edge of gilding to edge of gilding): 73.5 × 40.5 cm (28 15/16 × 15 15/16 in.) painted surface (edge of paint to edge of paint): 73.5 × 41 cm (28 15/16 × 16 1/8 in.) overall: 73.5 × 42 × 1 cm (28 15/16 × 16 9/16 × 3/8 in.) framed: 95.3 x 47.3 x 6 cm (37 1/2 x 18 5/8 x 2 3/8 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CIS-R
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Samuel H. Kress Collection
Accession Number
1943.4.20
Art Historical Context
Behold the graceful figure of *Saint Catherine of Alexandria*, a tempera on panel masterpiece by Bartolomeo Bulgarini, created around 1335–1340. This panel painting, measuring about 73.5 × 41 cm (painted surface), exemplifies the Gothic style of Sienese art, where Bulgarini, a follower of masters like Simone Martini, blended spiritual elegance with refined craftsmanship. The use of tempera—a durable medium of powdered pigments mixed with egg yolk—allowed for luminous colors and fine details on a gold-leaf ground, evoking divine light and heavenly realms typical of altarpieces or devotional ima...