(Canale di Serino 1657–1747 Barra)
The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine,
oil on canvas, 138 x 116.5 cm, framed

Provenance:
art market, England:
where acquired by the present owner

We are grateful to Nicola Spinosa for confirming the attribution after examination of the present painting in the original.

The present painting of the Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine is an example of Francesco Solimena’s early period and displays a refined Baroque composition that is characterised by differentiated contrasts of light and shadow, formal austerity, and a bright palette. The figures are positioned on an axis, under bright light, so as to emphasise the main characters in the composition.

The painting appears to have been created shortly after Solimena completed the frescoes in the choir of the church of the Donnaregina Nuova, in Naples, in 1689–90. A nucleus of works, created by Solimena in a short period of time around the completion of the Neapolitan frescoes, shows similar stylistic characteristics to the present work, displaying the Baroque influence of the work of Mattia Preti, with formal models and compositions taken from Pietro da Cortona and the tonality of colour and light effects derived from Luca Giordano.