Saint Catherine of Siena Beseeching Christ to Resuscitate Her Mother
Giovanni di Paolo·1450
Historical Context
Saint Catherine of Siena Beseeching Christ to Resuscitate Her Mother from 1450 by Giovanni di Paolo at the Metropolitan Museum depicts an episode from the life of Siena's patron saint. Catherine's mystical life provided numerous dramatic episodes for Sienese painters to illustrate Altarpieces featuring rows of standing saints served both liturgical and devotional functions, identifying the church's patron saints and giving worshippers specific objects for personal prayer.
Technical Analysis
The domestic setting is rendered with Giovanni di Paolo's characteristic spatial invention, the interaction between the saint and Christ conveyed through gesture and expression within his distinctive angular style.
