Anton Domenico Gabbiani (Florence, 1652 - 1726) "Mystical nuptials of St. Catherine of Siena". Oil on canvas. 228 x 183,5 cm. Attached is a study by Professor Paolo Erasmo Mangiante, from which we extracted information for this catalogue description. The altarpiece that we have here, with a reinforced stretcher, is the work of the Florentine Antonio Domenico Gabbiani, and was made in the second half of the sixteenth century. The Prado Museum describes this author as "the most sought after and admired of the Florentine painters of his time [whose] frescoes and canvases decorate palaces and churches in Tuscany, such as the ceilings of Palazzo Pitti, those of the Villa of Poggio a Caiano, and the frescoes of the San Frediano di Castello church dome, at the time that Rococo style was emerging. In his artworks, Gabbiani recovers the Florentine tradition of meticulous draftsmanship and employs perfect technique, in the early years his style was spontaneous and light, and later, rigorous and cold, tinged with academicism". Mangiante goes on to state that the "pictorial composition is, in fact, similar to that of other altarpieces executed in this period by Gabbiani" and that "Gabbiani's method for creating this stupendous altarpiece employs numerous, meticulous pictorial details, such as the folds of the clothes, the delicate anatomy of the fingers of the hands, their elegant gesture, the beauty of the angelic faces and the particular intensity of expression of the curly head of Christ. All these qualities, as well as the intense chromatism and the high quality of the pictorial material demonstrate the great commitment the Florentine painter had in the execution of this important painting, which is included among his most accomplished artworks". It is, in short, an extraordinary canvas in the form of a door with a semicircular arch of authentic religious perfection, which captures the ineffable moment of union of the soul with God through love, with the ecstasy of the Dominican saint, already an abbess, and the revelation of the wounds of her Beloved. In a silent atmosphere of prayer and reverence attended by a choir of adoring and contemplating angels, everything in the painting shows veneration and plenitude. This large format canvas by Gabbiani that crossed the borders of Italy, to move the spirits of the devout faithful and dedicated nuns who contemplate it, was possibly made for a convent of cloistered Dominican nuns. The art of the brushstroke in this oil painting is direct and triumphant, almost theatrical, with the capacity to seduce, move and conquer the viewer with strong feelings of love. The expressions on the faces and in the glances are harmonious, this is a scene that directly appeals to the emotions on a visceral level. Saint Catherine, considered to be one of the great mystics of her time, also stood out as a preacher and writer. In the painting, in fact, a wise angel can be seen in the lower left margin holding the pages of her spiritual treatises: the famous Dialogue of Divine Providence. Her decisive contribution to the return of the papacy to Rome after exile in Avignon was also outstanding. Doctor of the Church, patroness of Europe and Italy, she is a highly venerated and popular saint in foundations, churches and sanctuaries of the Dominican Order. Reference bibliography: - Museo del Prado (n.d.). Gabbiani, Anton Domenico'. https://www.museodelprado.es/coleccion/artista/gabbiani-anton-domenico/ce702620-9999-4bb3-a4b8-ec66229b5968