Die thronende Maria mit dem Kind, dem Heiligen Dominikus und der Heiligen Katharina von Siena (Rosenkranzmadonna)

Francesco Solimena was the dominant figure in Neapolitan painting from the 1680s through the 1740s, synthesising Luca Giordano's exuberant decorative manner with a more rigorous architectural structure. His Rosenkranzmadonna — the Virgin enthroned with the Child, Saints Dominic and Catherine of Siena — is a standard devotional composition of the Counter-Reformation, rooted in the Rosary devotion promoted by the Dominican order. Solimena's early works are more sombre and structurally ambitious than his later airy decorations.

The composition follows the traditional sacra conversazione arrangement with the enthroned Virgin above and saints below. Solimena's dark, warm palette and confident figure modelling reflect the influence of Luca Giordano at this stage of his development. The architectural throne gives the composition an imposing verticality.