Saint Catherine of Alexandria

Antonio Solario painted this Saint Catherine of Alexandria around 1514 for the National Gallery. Solario's Venetian training gave him a warm palette and atmospheric approach that distinguished his work from the more linear painting traditions of the regions where he spent most of his career 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.

The saint figure demonstrates Solario's Venetian-influenced coloristic approach with warm atmospheric modeling and the rich surface quality he absorbed from his training in the Bellini-influenced Venetian school.