The Martyrdom of St Catherine of Alexandria
by RENI, Guido, Oil on canvas, 277 x 195 cm
This altarpiece was commissioned by the Genoese banker Ottavio Costa around 1605. Here Reni combined his earlier compositions of St Cecilia (in the Santa Cecilia Trastevere, Rome) into a highly consistent image. This painting is a fine example of the way Guido Reni tried to absorb the whole range of artistic innovations created by among others the Carracci and Caravaggio.