The Virgin and Child with Saints John the Baptist and Catherine

Artist: Andrea Previtali (Italian, About 1480 - 1528)

Original Dimensions: 26 1/8" x 34 1/2"

Location: National Gallery of Art, London

About Artwork: (1504) "This painting, which has suffered extensive damage and is currently undergoing conservation, is signed and dated on the paper on the marble ledge. The writing translates as: ‘Andrea thread and needle follower of Giovanni Bellini painted this in 1504.’ Andrea Previtali signed himself ‘thread and needle’ because his father was a tailor. Previtali’s painting is similar to Giovanni Bellini’s Giovanelli Sacra Conversazione (Accademia, Venice), which may explain why he signed his name as well as his own. The infant Christ places a ring on Saint Catherine’s finger, echoing her vision that she had a ‘mystic marriage’ with Christ. The Virgin holds Saint Catherine’s finger while Saint John the Baptist watches. The painting would probably have been used for private devotion at home. A painting by Previtali in S. Giobbe in Venice with the same composition is likely to have been painted first and the National Gallery picture painted later by Previtali." - (National Gallery of Art, London)