Saints Catherine of Alexandria, Barbara, Agatha, and Margaret

Four full-length female saints stand in separate vertical panels against gold leaf backgrounds with arched tops. Each wears a long robe in red, rose, or dark mantle, and holds a small attribute: a spiked wheel, a tower, a palm or pincers, and a basket of flowers. Tempera on wood, gold ground.

Look closer: A small halo above each saint's head, painted in raised gold, catches the light.

Artist

Giovanni di Paolo (Giovanni di Paolo di Grazia)

Date

ca. 1470

Medium

Tempera on wood, gold ground

Source

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Size

3811 × 2971 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Friedsam Collection, Bequest of Michael Friedsam, 1931