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Ambrogio Bergognone, 'The Virgin and Child with Saints', about 1490

About the work

Overview

We are clearly looking into heaven in this large painting. The Virgin Mary sits on a carved and gilded throne, the Christ Child standing on her lap. They are flanked by Saints Catherine of Alexandria, dressed as a princess, and Catherine of Siena in the habit of a Dominican nun. The figures are linked by their hands: the Virgin holds Catherine of Siena’s hand, while Christ places a ring on Catherine of Alexandria’s finger (the saint had a vision of herself as a ‘bride of Christ’ and, because of this, refused to marry the Roman emperor).

This painting was one of ten Bergognone made for the Certosa (Charterhouse) of Pavia in the late 1480s and 1490s. It presumably hung in the fifth chapel off the left aisle of the nave, which is dedicated to the two Saints Catherine.

Key facts

Details

Full title
The Virgin and Child with Saint Catherine of Alexandria and Saint Catherine of Siena
Artist dates
active 1481; died 1523?
Date made
about 1490
Medium and support
oil on wood
Dimensions
187.5 × 129.5 cm
Acquisition credit
Bought, 1857
Inventory number
NG298
Location
Room 10
Collection
Main Collection
Frame
19th-century Italian Frame

About this record

If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.

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