Vincenzo Catena, 'A Warrior adoring the Infant Christ and the Virgin', after 1520
About the work
Overview
We do not know the origins of this mysterious painting. It has the wide rectangular shape typical of Venetian votive pictures made to thank the Virgin Mary or a patron saint.
The Virgin sits on a stone throne ornamented with sphinxes, symbolising wisdom, while Saint Joseph stands beside her. A warrior approaches the Virgin and Child on his knees, his right hand to his heart, his face in shadow. He wears European armour, but the silk of his headdress is from Islamic North Africa, the enamelled trappings of his horse from Islamic Spain, and his curved dagger and belt hanging on the wall are of Islamic style.
The image appears to be unique in showing a Muslim warrior kneeling in adoration before the Virgin and Child. The infant Christ raises his right hand in blessing while a page in Venetian costume stands behind the wall holding the warrior’s horse. The painting may commemorate the warrior’s conversion to Christianity or the hope for universal peace.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- A Warrior adoring the Infant Christ and the Virgin
- Artist
- Vincenzo Catena
- Artist dates
- active 1506 - 1531
- Date made
- after 1520
- Medium and support
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 155.3 × 263.5 cm
- Acquisition credit
- Bought, 1853
- Inventory number
- NG234
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
- Previous owners
Provenance
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Cecil Gould, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Sixteenth Century Italian Schools’, London 1987; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Exhibition history
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2012Shakespeare: Staging the WorldThe British Museum19 July 2012 - 25 November 2012
Bibliography
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1853Christie & Manson, Catalogue of the First and Most Important Portion of the Highly Valuable Collection of Italian, German, Flemish, and Dutch Pictures… Formed by Samuel Woodburn Esq., London, 24 June 1853 - 25 June 1853
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1871J.A. Crowe and G.B. Cavalcaselle, A History of Painting in North Italy: Venice, Padua, Vicenza, Verona, Ferrara, Milan, Friuli, Brescia, from the Fourteenth to the Sixteenth Century, 2 vols, London 1871
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1891F. Kugler, Handbook of Painting: The Italian Schools, eds C.L. Eastlake and A.H. Layard, London 1891
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1916T. Borenius, 'Professor Venturi on Quattrocento Painting', The Burlington Magazine, XXIX/160, 1916, pp. 161-4
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1923C.H.C. Baker, 'Catena at Trafalgar Square', The Burlington Magazine, XLII/242, 1923, pp. 239-47
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1937G. Gombosi, Palma Vecchio: Des Meisters Gemälde und Zeichnungen, Stuttgart 1937
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1954G. Robertson, Vincenzo Catena, Edinburgh 1954
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1959Gould, Cecil, National Gallery Catalogues: The Sixteenth Century Venetian School, London 1959
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1975C. Gould, Delaroche and Gautier: Gautier's Views on the 'Execution of Lady Jane Grey' and on other Compositions by Delaroche, London 1975
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1980A. Rosenauer, 'Vincenzo Catena: Eine Musikerdarstellung von 1529', Artibus et historiae, I/2, 1980, pp. 29-41
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1987Gould, Cecil, National Gallery Catalogues: The Sixteenth Century Italian Schools, London 1987
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1996M. Lucco, La pittura del Veneto: Il Cinquecento, Milan 1996
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1997C. Hope, 'The Attribution of Some Paduan Paintings of the Early Sixteenth Century', Artibus et historiae, XVIII/35, 1997, pp. 81-99
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1999G. Berra, 'Immagini casuali, figure nascoste e natura antropomorfa nell'immaginario artistico rinascimentale', Mitteilungen des Kunsthistorischen Institutes in Florenz, XLIII/2-3, 1999, pp. 358-419
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2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
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2005S. Cohen, 'The Enigma of Carpaccio's "Venetian Ladies"', Renaissance Studies, XIX/2, 2005, pp. 150-84
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2006E.M. Pozzolo, 'Appunti su Catena', Venezia cinquecento, XVI/31, 2006, pp. 5-105
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.
Images
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