Spanish school; second third of the XVI century.

Spanish school; second third of the sixteenth century.
"Triptych panel with motif of St. Catherine and St. Paul".
Oil on panel.
They have original frames.
Measurements: 92 x 25.5 cm; 102 x 36 x 3 cm.
These two panels, originally belonging to a devotional triptych, represent St. Catherine of Alexandria and St. Paul, and are part of the pictorial production of the Spanish school of the second third of the sixteenth century. Made in oil on panel, both figures are presented full-length, endowed with a hieratic and frontal presence that evidences both their sacred character and their liturgical function. Saint Paul, identified by his iconographic attribute -the sword of martyrdom- and his austere bearing, embodies apostolic severity. In turn, Saint Catherine, represented with crown, palm of martyrdom and sword, appears victorious over the decapitated figure of the pagan emperor, an explicit allusion to her hagiography. The handling of color, with a predominance of earthy and golden tones, as well as the treatment of volume and the folds of the drapery, denote the influence of Italian mannerism and Flemish art, which nourished the peninsular stylistic currents.
The Spanish school of this period is distinguished by its technical solidity and its deep commitment to counter-reformist spirituality, reflected in an art that seeks to move and elevate the viewer through the dignity of the sacred figures, narrative detail and a restrained emotional expressiveness. These two panels are an example of the synthesis between medieval tradition and Renaissance renovation that characterized Spanish religious painting, which consolidated its own visual language of great symbolic strength and devotional fervor. The inclusion of saints such as Catherine and Paul also reinforces the Christian ideal of active witness to the faith, a central theme in the visual imagery of the Spanish Golden Age.