Saint Catherine of Alexandria
Technical Details
-
Title
Saint Catherine of Alexandria -
Author
Giovanni Antonio Sogliani -
Year
1520 – 30 -
Dimensions
cm 82 x 67 -
Inventory
5111 -
Signature
The restoration of St. Catherine of Alexandria by Giovanni Antonio Sogliani (Fig. 1) was carried out between October 2018 and May 2019.
Giovanni Antonio Sogliani (Florence 1492 – 1544) worked for many years in the workshop of Lorenzo di Credi, to whom he remained linked by a friendship, and he had also absorbed the influence of Leonardo da Vinci. Later, in the 1610s he had approached Fra Bartolomeo and Mariotto Albertinelli and the school they had created in the convent of San Marco. His production in the 1930s, when he painted the Saint Catherine, denotes the influence of Andrea del Sarto.

At the time Sogliani was in great demand in Florence and Tuscany but, as Vasari narrates in his Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors and Architects, he was so slow and meticulous that he sometimes lost important commissions, as happened in the case of the cycle of canvases with the Old Testament Sacrifices, for which he executed only three paintings and the rest were completed by Domenico Beccafumi, Sodoma and Niccolò Pisano.
The solid figure is placed between the bases of two pillars, emphasizing its monumental layout.
Some inscriptions in capital letters are legible, on the base of the right pillar: JOHANNES / ANTONIUS / FACIEBAT, and on the book held up by the Saint: HAEC EST / VIRGO / SAPIENS.
The work can be dated to the artist’s mature phase, around the 1630s.

Throughout the restoration, the panel was visible in the Transparent Restoration Laboratory in Room XVIII (fig. 2). The painting was restored because it was weighed down by oxidation of the dulled and yellowed surface varnish and some altered retouching. In addition, some small lifts in the color that had formed in contact with the frame had to be fixed along the perimeter.
Prior to restoration, the painting was subjected to a thorough photographic and diagnostic campaign (figs. 3, 4), including diffuse and grazing light shots, macrophotographs and microscope photographs, infrared reflectography (IRR), infrared false color (IRFC), ultraviolet fluorescence (UVF), and reflectance spectrometry (Vis-RS). The results and direct observations of the work provided a deeper understanding of the artist’s technique, allowing each phase of the restoration work to be set up.

Painting technique
The panel measures 82.5 x 66.2 x 2.5 cm and consists of three glued and vertically arranged planks, provided with two horizontal cross-pieces (figs. 5, 6).
The surface was initially prepared with a light homogeneous layer of plaster and glue, over which are spread the pictorial layers obtained with fluid oil backgrounds, more full-bodied at the highlights and shadows (figs. 6, 7).

Previous restoration and state of preservation
The painting has undergone some restoration work in the past. Some retouching is visible; a non-original natural resin-based varnish (dammar or mastic) has been applied to the surface of the work, and it appears very fluorescent in ultraviolet light (figs. 3, 7). In addition, initial tests revealed an additional brown layer under the varnish, probably a patina applied to give the image an antiquarian-looking hue and better disguise the retouches.
Fortunately, overall the work appears to be in good condition, the previous restorations not having unduly weakened the pictorial layers. Some minor color falls and minimal abrasions are visible in the central area and along the edges (fig. 3).

Restoration work
The restoration initially involved fixing the small lifts of color along the margins. The most significant phase was the cleaning of the surface, with the gradual thinning of the layers of paint, patinas and retouches that had accumulated over time and were heavily oxidized. The recovery of the image’s legibility was particularly effective, and the work regained the artist’s characteristic brilliant coloring.

At the end of the intervention, the work was offered to the public on the wall of Room XVIII, next to the Restoration Laboratory, dedicated to an in-depth look at the most significant restorations.
