Artwork
The Virgin and Child with Saints Nicholas of Tolentino and Catherine of Siena
The Virgin and Child with Saints Nicholas of Tolentino and Catherine of Siena is an oil painting by the High Renaissance artist Lo Spagna. It dates from 1499 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Ireland.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The iconography aligns with typical Marian imagery of the period, emphasizing maternal tenderness and sacred protection.
The composition shows the Virgin cradling the Christ Child amid a gathering of saints, with Saint Nicholas of Tolentino and Saint Catherine of Siena identified among the figures. Their presence underscores the work’s devotional focus on intercessory prayer and Franciscan devotion, reflecting the religious climate of early sixteenth‑century Italy. The iconography aligns with typical Marian imagery of the period, emphasizing maternal tenderness and sacred protection.
Technique & Style
The work is executed in oil paint on panel, a standard support for early Italian devotional panels of its period. Its modest dimensions, 47 cm in height by 35 cm in width, indicate an intimate scale suited to private devotion. The composition is a religious painting depicting the Madonna and Child flanked by Catherine of Siena and Nicholas of Tolentino, rendered in a style associated with Lo Spagna (Giovanni di Pietro).
History & Provenance
The work titled The Virgin and Child with Saints Nicholas of Tolentino and Catherine of Siena was painted by Lo Spagna and is housed in the National Gallery of Ireland. It is classified as a religious oil painting on panel, measuring 47 centimeters in height and 35 centimeters in width. The composition depicts the Madonna and Child alongside Saints Catherine of Siena and Nicholas of Tolentino. The painting entered the collection of the National Gallery of Ireland, where it remains on display.
The painting is held in the National Gallery of Ireland, as recorded in its collection data, and is executed in oil on panel with dimensions of 47 cm in height and 35 cm in width.
No specific inventory or accession number is documented in the available sources, and no exhibition history is recorded.
Overview
Created around 1499, this oil painting presents the Virgin Mary holding the infant Christ, accompanied by two saints, Nicholas of Tolentino and Catherine of Siena. Executed in the High Renaissance idiom, the work reflects the compositional clarity and serene atmosphere typical of the period, and it now belongs to the National Gallery of Ireland’s collection.
Context
Religious genre paintings of the late 15th century often paired the Virgin and Child with locally venerated saints, reflecting devotional practices of the time. By featuring Nicholas of Tolentino, a popular intercessor, and Catherine of Siena, a contemporary mystic, the work connects the sacred narrative to the spiritual concerns of its original audience.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Lo Spagna (died c. 1529), "the Spaniard" in Italian, was a painter of the Renaissance, active in central Italy. His name was Giovanni di Pietro, but he was known as Lo Spagna because he was of Spanish heritage. He was…
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