Artwork
Saint Bernard and Saint Catherine of Alexandria with the Virgin of the Annunciation [right panel]
![Saint Bernard and Saint Catherine of Alexandria with the Virgin of the Annunciation [right panel], by Agnolo Gaddi, tempera, 1387](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/agnolo-gaddi--saint-bernard-and-saint-catherine-of-alexandria-with-the-vir--710fc1ea417a9916-w1024.webp)
Saint Bernard and Saint Catherine of Alexandria with the Virgin of the Annunciation [right panel] is a tempera painting by the Byzantine icon painting artist Agnolo Gaddi. It dates from 1387 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:across the bottom under the saints: S. BERNARDUS DOCTOR; S. K[A]TERINA VIRGO
About this work
Subject & Meaning
This right panel of Agnolo Gaddi's altarpiece depicts two specific saints: Bernard of Clairvaux and Catherine of Alexandria.
This right panel of Agnolo Gaddi's altarpiece depicts two specific saints: Bernard of Clairvaux and Catherine of Alexandria. As a work of religious genre created shortly before 1387, the imagery serves a devotional function within a larger triptych structure that includes the Virgin of the Annunciation. The selection of these figures likely holds specific symbolic weight related to the artwork's original context; scholars propose the piece was commissioned for the sacristy of San Miniato al Monte in Florence by the Alberti family.
This interpretation is supported by the fact that three of the four saints featured across the side panels are associated with the Alberti lineage, suggesting the iconography was designed to reflect the patrons' identity and spiritual affiliations alongside standard religious veneration.
History & Provenance
Agnolo Gaddi created this tempera on poplar panel shortly before 1387. Miklós Boskovits proposed that the triptych was originally located in the sacristy of the church of San Miniato al Monte, Florence. This attribution is supported by the Alberti family's patronage of the church; Benedetto di Nerozzo Alberti left funds for its decoration in a 1387 codicil to his 1377 will, and three of the four saints depicted across the side panels are associated with the Alberti family.
The work was likely removed from the church shortly after 1830. It subsequently entered the Ashburnham collection, passing from Bertram Ashburnham, 4th Earl of Ashburnham, to his son, the 5th Earl, and then to his daughter, Lady Mary Catherine Charlotte Ashburnham. Robert Langton Douglas then acquired it, selling it to Duveen Brothers, Inc. on June 19, 1919.
Duveen sold the panel to The A.W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust on December 15, 1936, which gifted it to the National Gallery of Art in 1937.
The panel is held in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., as part of the Andrew W. Mellon collection. It was accessioned in 1937 following its acquisition by The A.W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust on December 15, 1936, from Duveen Brothers, Inc.. Prior to its inclusion in the gallery’s collection, the work had no recorded exhibition history, likely remaining in private or ecclesiastical collections until the early 20th century.
Overview
This small tempera painting on poplar panel, titled Saint Bernard and Saint Catherine of Alexandria with the Virgin of the Annunciation, presents a devotional arrangement. It features two prominent saints alongside a depiction of the Virgin Mary receiving the angelic message. The panel is characterized by its luminous, gold-infused atmosphere, typical of its period.
Technique & Style
Executed in tempera on a poplar panel, the painting employs a distinctive use of light. The entire space appears suffused with a golden radiance, a characteristic shared with works by artists such as Agnolo Gaddi. A notable detail is found in the halos, which are adorned with raised gesso dots.
This sculptural application of material enhances their reflective quality, allowing them to capture and refract light, imbuing the figures with a subtle, dynamic presence.
![Saint Andrew and Saint Benedict with the Archangel Gabriel [left panel]](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/agnolo-gaddi--saint-andrew-and-saint-benedict-with-the-archangel-gabriel-l--ddd94720dea7e794-w320.webp)
Artist & collection
Artist
Agnolo Gaddi (c.1350–1396) was an Italian painter. He was born and died in Florence, and was the son of the painter Taddeo Gaddi, who was himself the major pupil of the Florentine master Giotto. Agnolo was a painter…
- Saint Andrew and Saint Benedict with the Archangel Gabriel [left panel]
![Madonna and Child with Saints Andrew, Benedict, Bernard, and Catherine of Alexandria with Angels [entire triptych], by Agnolo Gaddi](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/agnolo-gaddi--madonna-and-child-with-saints-andrew-benedict-bernard-and-ca--93a6585f38530738-w320.webp)
Madonna and Child with Saints Andrew, Benedict, Bernard, and Catherine of Alexandria with Angels [entire triptych]![Madonna and Child Enthroned with Twelve Angels, and with the Blessing Christ [middle panel], by Agnolo Gaddi](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/agnolo-gaddi--madonna-and-child-enthroned-with-twelve-angels-and-with-the--f99a5efe37ce8dda-w320.webp)
Madonna and Child Enthroned with Twelve Angels, and with the Blessing Christ [middle panel]
The Coronation of the Virgin with Six Angels
Triptych
Madonna with the child, St. John the Baptist, St. Francis and St. Anthony and a martyr
Saint John the Baptist and Saint Dominic
The Virgin Mary with Saints Thomas Aquinas and Paul
Saint Bernardino of Siena
Mary of the Annunciation
Angel of the Annunciation
SS. bishop, Petrus, Paulus and a diacon
Saint Francis and a Bishop Saint
Triptych: The Virgin and Child with the Blessing Christ, Two Angels and a Donor
Saint Benedict Orders Saint Maurus to the Rescue of Saint Placidus
Madonna and Child with Saint Anthony Abbot and Saint Sigismund
St. Bernard of Clairvaux and scenes of his life