Matrimonio mistico di santa Caterina (1510-1515)

Correggio (c.1489-1534)

Matrimonio mistico di santa Caterina (The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine)
15101515
Oil on panel, 27.7 x 21.4 cm, 0.5 cm
National Gallery of ArtWashington

Three women, two men, and a baby sit on or stand near a throne with a curved top in this vertical painting. All the people have light, peachy skin. A younger woman, Mary, holds a nude baby as she sits on the lap of a second woman, Saint Anne, on the throne. The edges of Saint Anne’s white habit are visible along her forehead and across her neck, and she wears a raspberry-pink robe covering her head, shoulders, and arms. She holds both hands out, with her right hand, to our left, palm down. She looks off to our left, and her lips are parted. On her lap, Mary’s blond hair is pulled back, and she wears a ruby-red dress under a lapis-blue robe. She looks down at the baby who sits on her right knee, to our left. The baby also has blond hair, and he reaches for the hand of a third woman kneeling next to him, to our left. That woman’s reddish-blond hair is pulled back, and she wears a golden yellow wrap over a spruce-green dress. A red cloth hangs down her back and pools over the back of her bent knees and legs. She looks down at her right hand as the baby holds the third finger. The two men stand to either side of the throne. Both have bald heads, each with a ring of hair, and they are cleanshaven. The one to our left stands just behind the kneeling woman, and wears a moss-green, hooded robe with loose sleeves. He holds one hand to his chest, and a faint wound is visible on the back of his palm. The man on the other side faces the throne in profile facing our left. He wears a black cape wrapped around a white robe. He holds a book in one hand and a long stem of white flowers in the other. The throne sits in front of a shadowed, rounded niche. It is lined with a garland dotted with fruit, possibly oranges and lemons. Behind Saint Anne’s head, a gold circle is held up by two winged angels. Along the base of the throne, an oval medallion sits against a design of scrolls and flowers. The medallion shows a person kneeling on a box and another with a sword raised. The throne sits on two steps. On the steps near the kneeling woman are a gold crown, a sword with a gold hilt, and a bit of a broken, wooden wheel. (NGA)

Compare:

Correggio (c.1489-1534)
Matrimonio mistico di santa Caterina
15101514
Detroit Institute of ArtsDetroit

 

 

Correggio (c.1489-1534)
Matrimonio mistico di santa Caterina
c.1520
Museo di CapodimonteNapoli

 

 

Correggio (c.1489-1534)
Matrimonio mistico di santa Caterina
c.15261527
Musée du LouvreParis