Saint Catherine of Siena
The Mystical Marriage of Saint Catherine of Siena, by Vanni Francesco (Siena 1564 - 1610)
The work was recorded for the first time in 1642 in the inventory of the inheritance of Ortensia Santacroce, wife of Francesco Borghese. Attributed in 1833 to Francesco Vanni, this name was accepted by critics for the undeniably Baroque ideas, which are particularly evident in the figure of the Child and the use of vivid colours.
The painting depicts the mystical wedding of Catherine of Siena. Kneeling and crowned with thorns, she receives the ring from her divine Spouse. Witnessing the scene along with the Virgin are Francis of Assisi and John the Evangelist, the latter depicted while holding a cup with a snake, his typical iconographic attribute. According to tradition, in fact, the saint – forced to drink infected wine – miraculously transformed the poison in the cup into a slimy snake.
The work was first ascribed to the Sienese painter Francesco Vanni by the compiler of the Inventario Fidecommissario (1833, p. 37), an attribution confirmed by both Giovanni Piancastelli (1891, p. 273) and Adolfo Venturi (1893, p. 67). The latter scholar pointed to the Baroque characteristics of the painting, especially in the bright reds used for the face and small legs of the Child. Later, however, Roberto Longhi (1928, p. 182) suggested the name of Ventura Salimbeni, citing the ‘more muted range of colours’. Paola della Pergola, meanwhile, again proposed the attribution to Vanni, though with reservations: in the catalogue of the Galleria Borghese (1959, p. 56, no. 82), she referred to ‘a master very close to Vanni, if not […] Vanni himself’. Critics accepted this opinion, including Kristina Hermann Fiore (2005, pp. 386-387), who dated the painting to 1605-10.
The work depicts the mystical marriage of Catherine of Siena. Wearing a crown of thorns on her head, she is kneeling as she receives the ring from her divine bridegroom. The scene is witnessed by the Virgin, Francis of Assisi and John the Evangelist. The last-named figure is portrayed while showing a chalice with a serpent, one of his typical iconographic attributes: according to tradition, when the saint was obliged to drink poisoned wine, he miraculously transformed the liquid into a slithering snake.
This image is a public domain image, which means either that copyright has expired in the image or the copyright holder has waived their copyright. Franciscan Gallery charges for the access to high resolution copy of the image. Manually restoration was necessary in order to improve quality, without covering the original image.
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