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
Rights
Public Domain
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 images from this era. Saint Catherine, a 4th-century scholar and martyr, is revered for her intellect and faith; legend tells of her miraculous survival on a breaking wheel, making her a symbol of purity and resilience. Bulgarini's depiction captures her poised nobility, likely intended for private devotion or a polyptych, reflecting the Black Death era's surge in pious imagery across Italy. Its precise dimensions, from gilded edges to ornate frame, highlight the panel's role in intimate sacred spaces. Generously gifted through the Samuel H. Kress Collection to the National Gallery of Art, this work invites visitors to ponder the fusion of faith, artistry, and history in Siena's golden age of painting.