The Virgin Appearing to Saint Luke and Saint Catherine

The notaries of Reggio Emilia ordered this altarpiece in 1589 for their chapel in the city's cathedral. Annibale Carracci signed and dated it 1592 on the stone pedestal at the lower right, and it was probably put in place only in 1597. The Virgin and Child appear in a break in the clouds, and below, Luke the Evangelist throws open his arms, his ox beside him. At his feet lie a palette and brushes, because Luke was believed to have painted the Virgin's portrait and was the patron saint of painters. Catherine of Alexandria points upward and looks straight out at us. The canvas stayed in Reggio for almost two centuries. In 1786 the Duke of Modena, who ruled the city, moved it to his own gallery, and ten years later the French took it from there to Paris.