Saint Catherine of Siena
Brooklyn Museum photograph
Object Label
Lists of paintings in dowries and estate inventories often include descriptions, however brief, of their frames. In the colonial period, frames were often higher in value than their painted images, especially when made of silver or embellished with gold leaf. Paintings were even cut down to fit expensive frames or discarded altogether and replaced with mirrors.
The nearby large painting on copper of Saint Catherine of Siena was evidently so esteemed by its owner that a richly embossed silver frame was commissioned for it. The valuable silver frames for the two small, unrefined interpretations of the Annunciation and the Meeting of Joachim and Anna—adorned with embossed flowers, twisted Solomonic columns, putti (winged infants), scalloped shells, and mythological creatures—were probably worth more than the paintings.
=
Caption
Unknown Artist. Saint Catherine of Siena, 17th century. Painting: Oil on copper Frame: Silver on wood core, 17 3/4 x 15in. (45.1 x 38.1cm) frame: 29 1/4 x 27 x 2 in. (74.3 x 68.6 x 5.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Frank L. Babbott Fund, Frank Sherman Benson Fund, Carll H. de Silver Fund, A. Augustus Healy Fund, Caroline A.L. Pratt Fund, Charles Stewart Smith Memorial Fund, and Ella C. Woodward Memorial Fund, 48.206.84. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Collection
Collection
Artist
Title
Saint Catherine of Siena
Date
17th century
Medium
Painting: Oil on copper Frame: Silver on wood core
Classification
Dimensions
17 3/4 x 15in. (45.1 x 38.1cm) frame: 29 1/4 x 27 x 2 in. (74.3 x 68.6 x 5.1 cm)
Credit Line
Frank L. Babbott Fund, Frank Sherman Benson Fund, Carll H. de Silver Fund, A. Augustus Healy Fund, Caroline A.L. Pratt Fund, Charles Stewart Smith Memorial Fund, and Ella C. Woodward Memorial Fund
Accession Number
48.206.84
Frequent Art Questions
What do the branch of lilies represent?
That is such a beautiful painting of St. CatherineLilies traditionally represent purity in Christian art of the Western world. In this work, lilies were a particular "attribute" of St. Catherine, something she was often depicted with.She had a vision that St. Dominic (the founder of the Dominican order of nuns, which she belonged to) appeared to her, holding a lily that was on fire but never burned.
Have information?
Have information about an artwork? Contact us at