Saint Roch between Saints Anthony Abbot and Catherine of Alexandria
c. 1485/1495
Medium
gouache and brown wash heightened with white on laid paper
Dimensions
image: 15.3 x 15.6 cm (6 x 6 1/8 in.) sheet: 29.9 x 25.6 cm (11 3/4 x 10 1/16 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Woodner Collection, Patrons' Permanent Fund
Accession Number
1991.190.1.h
Art Historical Context
This delicate drawing by Raffaellino del Garbo, created around 1485–1495, presents Saint Roch flanked by Saints Anthony Abbot and Catherine of Alexandria. A Florentine artist active during the late fifteenth century, Raffaellino worked in the Renaissance tradition, blending graceful figures with careful attention to drapery and expression. The composition likely served as a devotional study, reflecting the era’s deep veneration of these saints—Roch as protector against plague, Anthony as a healer, and Catherine as a symbol of wisdom and martyrdom. Executed in gouache and brown wash heightened...