Saint Roch between Saints Anthony Abbot and Catherine of Alexandria

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 with white on laid paper, the work demonstrates Renaissance drawing techniques that allowed artists to model form and suggest light. The white highlights create a luminous, almost sculptural quality on the figures, while the compact image size hints at its possible use as a preparatory design for a painting or altarpiece. Such works on paper were prized for their immediacy and skill. Acquired through the Woodner Collection for the National Gallery of Art, this piece offers visitors a glimpse into the intimate creative process behind larger Renaissance commissions.