Saint Catherine

Theodoric of Prague was court painter to Emperor Charles IV and the leading artist of the Bohemian Gothic school, responsible for the remarkable painted decoration of Karlštejn Castle's Chapel of the Holy Cross. This Saint Catherine panel, dating to around 1360, is part of that extraordinary cycle of over 130 panel paintings of saints and Church Fathers that line the chapel walls. The commission represents one of the most ambitious Gothic painting programs north of the Alps, reflecting Charles IV's vision of Prague as a new Rome.

Tempera on panel with characteristic Theodoric hallmarks: monumental half-length figures with heavy, voluminous forms that seem to push beyond the picture plane. The bold modeling, broad brushwork, and physical solidity are remarkably advanced for the 1360s, anticipating later developments in European painting.