Description
Pietro Lorenzetti painted this Saint Catherine of Alexandria in 1329 for the altarpiece of San Niccolò del Carmine in Siena. The panel, now in the city's Pinacoteca Nazionale, once stood in a lateral section of the ensemble. Catherine appears full length, wearing a crown and holding the palm of martyrdom. Her gently turned face, long rose-coloured gown and gilded background exemplify the refinement of fourteenth-century Sienese painting.
Two small angels appear above her beside the pointed arch framing the figure. Catherine turns towards the centre of the former altarpiece, where the Virgin and Child were enthroned. The painting combines the dignity of a princess and revered martyr with a quiet, approachable expression. Although the ensemble was dismantled, the surviving panel helps visitors reconstruct the visual relationships among its saints and the splendour of the original Carmelite commission.






