Flemish school of the late 16th century.

Flemish school of the late 16th century.
"Virgin of the Rosary with St. Dominic and St. Catherine."
Oil on panel.
Measurements: 119 x 90 cm; 130 x 102 cm (frame).

We observe in this devotional painting an iconography deeply linked to the Dominican spirituality and the Marian devotion promoted after the Council of Trent.

In the central panel, the Virgin appears enthroned with the Child, surrounded by angels holding rosaries and floral crowns, symbols of intercession and salvation. At her feet kneel St. Dominic of Guzman, founder of the Dominican Order and great propagator of the rosary, and St. Catherine of Siena, one of the most venerated saints of the order, depicted in a black and white habit. The scene underlines the role of the rosary as a way of contemplation and spiritual mediation.

Surrounding the main scene is a complex narrative program composed of small scenes illustrating the mysteries of the Rosary, organized in the manner of an altarpiece. These richly detailed episodes combine passages from the life of Christ and the Virgin, from the Incarnation to the Passion and Resurrection, reinforcing the catechetical and devotional character of the work.

From the stylistic point of view, the painting reflects characteristic features of the late Flemish tradition: meticulousness in the drawing, a taste for narrative detail, deep colors and a clear illumination that precisely defines the figures and spaces. The ordered composition and the abundance of scenes respond to the didactic ideal of the religious art of the late sixteenth century.

Conceived as an object of devotion and teaching, this work is fully inscribed in the context of the Counter-Reformation, when the religious image became a fundamental instrument for the transmission of faith. Its format, iconographic richness and careful execution bring it closer to the language of the domestic or conventual altarpiece, intended for prolonged meditation and the practice of the rosary.