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Antonio de Solario, 'Saint Catherine of Alexandria', 1514

About the work

This is the left-hand shutter of a three-part folding altarpiece commissioned by the English merchant, Paul Withypool. The other shutter, which is also in the National Gallery’s collection, shows Saint Ursula.

Saint Catherine holds a fresh green palm, the symbol of martyrs – those killed for their Christian faith. She rests its stem against a spiked wooden wheel, the instrument of her torture, which she survived when it miraculously broke into pieces. The sword she holds is a reminder of her eventual execution by beheading.

On the reverse of the panel, two cherubs support a medallion that depicts Saint John the Baptist. He holds a reed cross and a scroll inscribed ‘Behold the Lamb of God’ (John 1: 29 and 36), and points to the lamb in his arms. Withypool was a member of the guild, now called the Company of Merchant Taylors, of which Saint John the Baptist was the patron saint. The coat of arms of the Withypool family are below.

Key facts

Full title
Saint Catherine of Alexandria
Artist
Antonio de Solario
Artist dates
probably active 1502 - 1518
Part of the series
Wing Panels from the Withypoll Triptych
Date made
1514
Medium and support
oil on wood
Dimensions
84 × 40 cm
Inscription summary
Inscribed
Acquisition credit
Bought, 1860
Inventory number
NG646
Location
On loan: Long loan to Bristol Museum and Art Gallery (2024 - 2027), Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery, Bristol, UK
Collection
Main Collection

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.

About the series: Wing Panels from the Withypoll Triptych

Antonio de Solario, 'Saint Catherine of Alexandria', 1514

These two panels once formed the shutters of an altarpiece in three parts, called a triptych. The two female saints flanked a central image signed by the artist (now in Bristol Museums and Art Gallery) which shows the Virgin adoring the infant Christ, who lays on a marble table resembling an altar. Kneeling before Christ is the man who commissioned the altarpiece, a London merchant called Paul Withypool.

Withypool was a powerful and influential person in the 1530s and 1540s; he served as a Member of Parliament from 1529 to 1536, sitting on various commissions. He was trusted as a supporter of the king’s policies. As a merchant, Withypool had connections with his Italian counterparts who, in turn, might have had something to do with Solario’s introduction to English society. Although we can't be sure, it is possible that Solario made this work while living in England.

Saint Catherine of Alexandria
Saint Catherine of Alexandria
Antonio de Solario
This is the left-hand shutter of a three-part folding altarpiece commissioned by the English merchant, Paul Withypool. The other shutter, which is also in the National Gallery’s collection, shows Saint Ursula.Saint Catherine holds a fresh green palm, the symbol of martyrs – those killed for their...
On display elsewhere
Saint Ursula
Saint Ursula
Antonio de Solario
This panel shows Saint Ursula, and was once the right-hand shutter of a three-part folding altarpiece made for Paul Withypool, an English merchant and courtier. The opposite shutter, also in the National Gallery’s collection, shows Saint Catherine, while the central panel (in Bristol Museums and...
On display elsewhere

More works by Antonio de Solario

The Virgin and Child with Saint John
The Virgin and Child with Saint John
Antonio de Solario
Solario most probably trained as a painter in Venice, where he would have been aware of the works of Giovanni Bellini, the city’s most highly regarded painter. This picture shows the influence of Bellini’s images of the Virgin and Child that were made for private worship. The holy figures stand b...
Not on display