Artwork

Madonna and Child with Two Angels, Saint Rose, and Saint Catherine of Alexandria

Madonna and Child with Two Angels, Saint Rose, and Saint Catherine of Alexandria is an oil painting by the Early Renaissance artist Workshop of Pietro Perugino. It dates from 1490 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Technique & Style

The work is attributed to the School of Perugino, situating it stylistically within the Umbrian tradition of the late 1480s to early 1490s.

The painting is executed in oil on panel, a medium characteristic of late fifteenth-century Italian devotional works. The support is a wood panel measuring approximately 99.06 cm in height by 90.17 cm in width. The work is attributed to the School of Perugino, situating it stylistically within the Umbrian tradition of the late 1480s to early 1490s.

A paper label affixed to the reverse of the panel, depicting a crown, plumes, a coat of arms, and the name "Leon Potocki," attests to the painting's early provenance and provides physical evidence of its handling history.

History & Provenance

The panel depicting the Madonna and Child with two angels, Saint Rose and Saint Catherine of Alexandria, is attributed to an anonymous hand and dated to the late 1480s or early 1490s. Executed in oil on wood, the work originally entered a private collection through Leon Potocki, whose label appears on the reverse, and later passed to Sir George Donaldon before being sold in 1907 to industrialist William A. Clark. Clark bequeathed the piece to the Corcoran Gallery of Art in 1926, and after the Corcoran’s dissolution the painting was transferred to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it remains on view. The provenance chain is documented in archival records and early sales catalogues.

The painting is currently held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., having been acquired by the institution in 2015. Prior to this transfer, the work resided in the Corcoran Gallery of Art, where it arrived as a bequest in 1926 from William A. Clark. Clark originally purchased the piece in 1907 from Sir George Donaldon of London.

The provenance traces back further to Leon Potocki, whose name appears on a paper label affixed to the reverse of the panel. The National Gallery of Art maintains the work in its collection, which previously included the Corcoran holdings. No specific exhibition history or accession numbers are detailed in the provided sources beyond the transfer dates and previous ownership.

Overview

This oil on panel painting, titled Madonna and Child with Two Angels, Saint Rose, and Saint Catherine of Alexandria, presents a central depiction of the Virgin Mary and Christ Child. They are encircled by two angelic figures and two named saints, set against a tranquil backdrop of rolling green fields and distant blue mountains. The composition conveys a sense of serene harmony, characteristic of its period.

Subject & Meaning

At the heart of the composition, the Madonna is depicted in a flowing red gown and blue veil, cradling the Christ Child. The surrounding figures include two angels and the saints Rose and Catherine of Alexandria, each identifiable by their specific attributes. This arrangement emphasizes a sacred gathering, visually articulating the profound connection between the celestial and terrestrial realms, a common theme in devotional art of the era.