Saint Catherine of Siena Exchanging Her Heart with Christ
Giovanni di Paolo·1460
Historical Context
Saint Catherine of Siena Exchanging Her Heart with Christ from 1460 by Giovanni di Paolo at the Metropolitan Museum depicts one of the most dramatic mystical experiences of the Dominican saint. The episode of the exchange of hearts symbolized Catherine's complete spiritual union with Christ, a subject particularly venerated in Siena. Characteristic of the artist's mature approach, the work displays brilliant, jewel-like color, gold grounds, lyrical figure types of Gothic grace, perspectival experiments that create strange compressed spaces, intense narrative invention.
Technical Analysis
The mystical encounter is rendered with the intensity and decorative richness characteristic of Giovanni di Paolo's late Sienese Gothic style, the gold ground and bright colors creating a visionary atmosphere.
