Saint Catherine of Siena
Spagna, Lo·1510–15
Historical Context
Lo Spagna (Giovanni di Pietro) painted this Saint Catherine of Siena between 1510 and 1515, depicting the great Dominican mystic who was one of only two female Doctors of the Church. Lo Spagna was a Spanish-born painter who worked primarily in Umbria, deeply influenced by Perugino and later by Raphael. His devotional paintings served the churches and convents of the Umbrian hill towns with the serene, idealized style characteristic of the Peruginesque tradition.
Technical Analysis
Lo Spagna's tempera and oil on panel demonstrate the smooth, idealized figure style of the Umbrian school. The gentle modeling and luminous palette reflect Perugino's influence, while the landscape background shows the atmospheric sensitivity characteristic of Umbrian painting.
Provenance
Possibly William Blundell Spence, Florence, in 1857 and possibly sold by him to Lady Marianne Margaret Compton, Viscountess Alford (d. 1888), 1857 [Ellis Waterhouse suggested that it could have been the “St. Catherine by Pinturicchio” sold by Spence to Lady Marianne Margaret Compton and mentioned in a letter from Spence to Lady Waldegrave dated April 14, 1857, Strachie MSS DD/SH 285 WW 52/1, Somerset Record Office, Taunton, according to Fleming 1979]. Adelbert Wellington Brownlow Cust, third Earl Brownlow (d. 1921), Ashridge Park, Berkhamsted [he may have inherited it from his mother, Lady Marianne Margaret Compton, Viscountess Alford if it was the picture referred to above; it was certainly in Brownlow’s possession by 1906, see Gregory 1906]; sold by his executors, Christie’s, London, May 4, 1923, no. 50 (ill.), to Agnew’s for ₤924 [according to Cannons 1923]; sold by Agnew’s, London, to Martin A. Ryerson (d. 1932), Chicago, 1923 [according to Agnew’s invoice, Art Institute archives]; intermittently on loan to the Art Institute from 1924; by descent to his wife Carrie Hutchinson Ryerson (1859–1937), Chicago, 1932 [Last Will and Testament of Martin A. Ryerson, Died August 11, 1932, copy in Institutional Archives, Art Institute of Chicago]; bequeathed to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1937.
