Altar of Recanati polyptych, crowning of the right wing: St. Catherine of Siena, and St. Sigismund 1508

Lorenzo Lotto painted this panel of the Altar of Recanati polyptych around 1506-1508, probably in Venice. It depicts Saint Catherine of Siena and Saint Sigismund, and like the other panels would have been commissioned to serve a didactic, devotional purpose in a church. The opulence of Saint Sigismund’s garments indicates his status as a king, while Saint Catherine, on the left, is holding an apple. The apple is a symbolic reference to the fall of man and the central role of Christ’s sacrifice in Christian theology. Lotto’s patrons would have instructed him on the correct iconography of the image, to ensure its theological propriety. Such images tell us much about the social function of art at the time. We might consider what role the church played in regulating artistic production, and what opportunities existed for artists to express their own originality within the confines of religious doctrine. Examination of parish records, letters, and diaries helps us to reconstruct this historical context.