St. Catherine

Saint Catherine from 1550, attributed to Bernardino Luini, depicts the learned virgin martyr who was among the most popular saints in Italian art. If painted late or by workshop hands, it reflects the continuing demand for Luini's devotional style after his death around 1532. Oil on canvas — by the sixteenth century the dominant medium for ambitious works — allowed successive glazes of transparent color and freedom to rework the composition. Luini's absorption of Leonardo's sfumato technique—the soft, atmospheric modeling that dissolves contours in shadow—was more thorough and more commercially successful than any other Lombard follower, making him the primary vehicle for Leonardo's

The saint is depicted with the sweet expression and soft modeling characteristic of Luini's manner, though the later date may suggest workshop or follower participation.