Artwork
Madonna and Child with Saints Lucy and Catherine and 2 Nuns
Madonna and Child with Saints Lucy and Catherine and 2 Nuns is an oil painting. It dates from 1590 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum. The work presents a central female figure with a halo, cradling an infant, surrounded by four additional women.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
This religious painting presents a sacred conversation featuring the Madonna and Child enthroned with four female figures.
This religious painting presents a sacred conversation featuring the Madonna and Child enthroned with four female figures. The group includes two identified martyrs, Saint Lucy and Catherine of Alexandria, accompanied by two nuns. The inclusion of these specific saints alongside the Virgin and Child creates a devotional image intended to inspire piety through the intercession of holy figures.
The work's classification as religious art underscores its function as a object of veneration, likely created for a convent or private chapel given the presence of the nun figures.
Technique & Style
Created in 1580, this religious painting is executed in oil paint on a canvas support. The artwork measures 68 cm in height and 84.5 cm in width. Stylistically, the piece is attributed to the workshop of Paolo Caliari, generally known as Veronese, reflecting the artist's established late-sixteenth-century manner.
The composition depicts the Madonna and Child alongside Saint Lucy and Catherine of Alexandria, accompanied by two nuns, aligning with the genre of religious art characteristic of the period's workshop productions.
History & Provenance
Created in 1580, this oil on canvas painting originated from the workshop of Paolo Caliari, known as Veronese. The work subsequently passed through notable collections before entering its current institution. It was formerly owned by Bartolomeo della Nave and later by Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria. The painting is now held by the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
The painting is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. It entered the museum’s holdings through earlier collections, including that of Bartolomeo della Nave and Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria.
It has not been documented in any major public exhibitions since its acquisition by the museum.
Overview
The work presents a central female figure with a halo, cradling an infant, surrounded by four additional women. The central figure is dressed in a blue‑green robe, while the companions wear a mix of richly ornamented garments and austere black habits. A dark, uniform background accentuates the vivid hues of the clothing, especially the gold and white accents.
Context
The composition follows the established iconography of Madonna and Child with saints, a format popular in ecclesiastical settings during the 16th‑17th centuries. By integrating local saints with the Virgin, the work would have reinforced communal identity and spiritual devotion within a religious community, likely a convent dedicated to Lucy and Catherine.
Legacy
While not widely cited in major art historical surveys, the painting exemplifies the personalized devotional art produced for monastic audiences. Its preservation offers insight into the visual strategies employed to honor specific saints and to foster a contemplative atmosphere for the sisters who would have venerated it.
Artist & collection
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Saint Mary Magdalene of Pazzi crowned with thorns
The Virgin and Child between two Saints
La Virgen el Niño y Santa Ana
The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine
