1464
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
St. Catherine of Siena and the Beggar is a 1464 unspecified by Giovanni di Paolo, a Early Renaissance work, depicting Siena, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This medieval painting shows Saint Catherine kneeling before a beggar. She hands him a loaf of bread while angels watch from above. The colors are bright but the scene feels quiet, like a small miracle caught in time. The artist painted this for a hospital church in Siena. It was part of a bigger altarpiece, showing how art served the city’s needs back then. Look up Giovanni di Paolo to see more of his dreamy, colorful Sienese paintings.
Saint Catherine (1347-1380) was the daughter of a prosperous Sienese cloth dyer. At the age of six, she saw a vision of Christ and thereafter dedicated herself to chastity, penance, and good works. She became much beloved in Siena for selflessly caring for victims of the Black Death. This panel, with 1966.2, was once part of a predella (or pedestal) of a large altarpiece painted for the Hospital Church of Siena. The main scene of this altarpiece, showing the Presentation of Christ in the Temple (now preserved in Siena) was ordered by the Pork Butchers Guild (the Pizzicaiuoli) in 1447. The…
Giovanni di Paolo painted both large altarpieces and small manuscripts.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Giovanni di Paolo di Grazia was an Italian painter, working primarily in Siena, becoming a prolific painter and illustrator of manuscripts, including Dante's texts.
See the richer artist pageYour cart is empty
Explore artworks →
