(Pratovecchio 1592–1664 Florence)
The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine of Alexandria,
oil on canvas, 82.5 x 67.5 cm, framed

Vignali dealt with the present subject several times: a version from his early period is now preserved in the Hermitage, while another variant dates from the 1650s (ex Coll. G. Pratesi, Florence). The latter painting and a third – smaller – version, which bears an attribution to Vignali (Stockholm, Auktionsverket, 30 May 2007, lot 2421), show a different, less intimate composition. Yet the treatment of the figures and surface textures, the choice of colours, the impasto manner of painting, and the handling of light are consistent throughout. The present painting can be assigned to the 1630s or early 1640s, a period when the artist was not so much under the influence of his first teacher, Roselli, but rather relied on works by Furini and Bilivert when it comes to form and colour.
After his training under Matteo Rosselli, Vignali moved to Florence in 1616, where he enrolled at the Accademia del Disegno in 1622 and soon received commissions from the great dukes and private patrons. In 1625 he travelled to Rome. He painted numerous pictures and frescoes for churches in Florence, where he died in 1664.

We are grateful to Dr. Martina Ingendaay for confirming the attribution of the present work after examining it in the original.