Saint Catherine of Alexandria Polyptych

Simone Martini's Saint Catherine of Alexandria Polyptych, painted around 1320 for the church of San Domenico in Orvieto and now in the National Museum of San Matteo in Pisa, is a major multi-panel altarpiece from the artist's early maturity. The polyptych celebrates the popular virgin-martyr Saint Catherine, whose cult was particularly promoted by the Dominican order, and demonstrates Simone's growing command of the aristocratic Gothic style that would make him the most internationally influential Italian painter of his generation. The elaborate architectural framework and refined figural style established a model for Sienese polyptych design.

The multi-panel tempera-on-gold-ground altarpiece features Simone's signature combination of sinuous Gothic line with delicate tonal modeling in the faces and hands. The saint's richly patterned garments and the elaborate punched gold backgrounds exemplify the decorative splendor of Sienese Gothic painting at its most refined.