(Venice 1570–1596) The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine, oil on canvas, 50 x 70 cm, in a richly carved Baroque frame

Provenance: Noble collection, Paris;

We are grateful to Professor Ugo Ruggeri for suggesting the attribution for the present composition (certificate, January 2010).

Carlo Caliari, called ‘Carletto Veronese’, was the youngest and probably most talented son of Paolo Veronese. Only in the recent past have his paintings been distinguished from the oeuvre of his father (see E. Tietze-Conrat, Not Paolo, but Carletto Caliari, in: The Art Bulletin, 28, 1946, p. 53f.; L. Crosato Larcher, Per Carletto Caliari, in: Arte Veneta, 21, 1967/68, p. 108–124.) In fact. the present picture had long been considered as a work by Paolo Veronese. According to Ruggeri Carlo Caliari´s drawing is more clear and precise that his father‘s and his free and irregular colour application reveals the influence of the Bassano in whose studio he worked. There are also differences in the details of the background and the treatment of the hair, garments and adornment that make him an independent figure. The subject of the Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine was popular in the late 16th Century Venetian painting.

Provenance: Noble collection, Paris; We are grateful to Professor Ugo Ruggeri for suggesting the attribution for the present composition (certificate, January 2010). Carlo Caliari, called ‘Carletto Veronese’, was the youngest and probably most talente