The Virgin & Child are seated at the entrance to a walled garden, frequently a symbol of the Virgin's purity. On the right, Saint Catherine of Alexandria &, further off, the seated figure of Saint Agatha with another female saint. Through a distant ar ...

Circular paintings or 'tondi' of this type were especially popular in Florence (see, for example, those by Botticelli & his workshop, also in the Collection). Raffaellino was much influenced by Filippino Lippi in his highly ornamental style & love of ...

The Virgin & Child are shown with Saint Dominic (1170
- 1221), the founder of the Dominican Order of Preachers, who commonly
...

Giovanni Mocenigo was Doge of Venice from 1478 until 1485. The Doge's banner shows the Mocenigo arms & the lion of Saint Mark (the emblem of Venice) & is inscribed: 'pax/ tibi/ mar/ce /eva/ngel/ista /mevs' (Peace be with you Mark my evangelist). The a ...

Saint James the Greater is on the left, introducing the donor. Saint George is shown as a knight on horseback. The picture was formerly considered to be by Martino da Udine (Pellegrino da San Daniele), to whom it is still ascribed by some critics. The sty ...

Saint Catherine of Alexandria on the left is identifiable by her attribute of the wheel on which she was tortured, while Saint Catherine of Siena is on the right holding a lily, a symbol of purity. There was formerly a lunette to the picture, showing a ' Pi ...

The central panel is a mystic treatment of the Marriage of Saint Catherine of a type known as ' Virgo inter Virgines'. The edifice in the background may stand for the Gateway into Heaven. Left wing: Saint John the Baptist. Centre background: Saints Agnes & Agatha. Right wing: Saint John Evangelist. The greatest stylistic influence notable is the work of Geertgen tot Sint Jans. ...

The Virgin & Child are enthroned in a walled garden, a probable metaphor for her virginity. On the right Saint Barbara reads a book. Mary Magdalene, seated next to her holding on ointment jar, appears to be turning the pages. To the left Saint Catherine receives a ring from the infant Christ (she refused to marry an emperor on the grounds that she was already married to Christ). The everyday world represented beyond the wall was perhaps painted from contemporary Bruges. David's picture was almost certainly commissioned by the kneeling figure on the left, Richard de Visch van der Capelle, a cantor (senior cleric) of Saint Donatian, Bruges. His identity is recorded in the coat of arms on the greyhound's collar. In 1500 he sought to restore the chapel of Saint Anthony Abbot, who appears in the background behind Saint Barbara. This painting was almost certainly intended for the altar of Saint Catherine there. ...

The figures of the Virgin & Child are known in other works, & may be based on a lost picture by Rogier van der Weyden. The design above the window is a device of the Dukes of Burgundy. It also belongs to the Order of the Golden Fleece, which the donor (kneeling in the church doorway) wears. It has been suggested that he is Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy (1433
- 1477), but the costume is probably of about 1490-95.
...

The figures of the Virgin & Child are probably from a design by Giovanni Bellini, of around 1500; this design occurs in other paintings by Bissolo. Saint Michael's name is inscribed on his robe. Saint Veronica is identified by the veil she holds. ...