Large altarpiece depicting St. Catherine of Genoa inspired by the Virgin and Child

Important 19th-century Ligurian devotional altarpiece depicting St. Catherine of Genoa (Caterina Fieschi Adorno) as she writes the famous Treatise on Purgatory.The saint is depicted kneeling as she writes, assisted by the Virgin and Child appearing in a heavenly vision. The Child points to the open book on which the title "Treatise on Purgatory by Caterina Fieschi Adorno of Genoa" clearly reads. Behind appear two female figures in angelic taste who observe the scene.The composition, set like an altarpiece, is characterized by a strong verticality and a scenographic layout typical of nineteenth-century religious painting. The pictorial quality is remarkable, with particular attention to the rendering of the faces, drapery and light.Work probably made for a devotional or ecclesiastical Ligurian setting.Coeval gilded wood molded frame.Technique: oil on canvasEpoch: 19th centuryOrigin: Genoa (Liguria)Painted measurements:Height cm 210Width cm 105