Barnaba Da Modena (c.1328- c. 1386), Saint Catherine on the throne, 1375 – 1380, Tempera and oil on wood, 106x 73 cm, The Palazzo Spinola di Pellicceria, Genoa
This beautiful fragment of a once-existing polyptych epitomises the Italo-Byzantine pictorial tradition, fusing Byzantine religious iconography’s authoritative, solemn qualities with the stylistic refinements characteristic of 14th-century Italian schools. The panel features Saint Catherine seated in a frontal, hieratic pose, holding the spiked wheel of her martyrdom. Its composition is schematic and symbolic, eschewing naturalism to emphasise the saint’s transcendental, spiritual status. The gold-leaf background, with intricate patterns, especially on the blue cloth behind the figure, reflects the enduring influence of Byzantine aesthetics, while the detailed rendering of drapery gestures towards the decorative richness of Italian Gothic styles.
This work was likely the central panel of a larger polyptych commissioned by a Genoese confraternity, possibly the Confraternity of Santa Caterina di Luccoli. Created in the later stages of Barnaba’s career, the piece confirms his continued commitment to the conservative pictorial language of Byzantine tradition despite growing Gothic influences across Italy.
Barnaba’s adherence to these conventions was not simply a reflection of artistic inertia but rather a response to the preferences of his Genoese patrons, who valued the spiritual clarity and symbolic power of Byzantine iconography. While his work absorbed some contemporary Italian elements, particularly in treating garments, Barnaba remained fundamentally conservative, prioritising religious symbolism over emerging naturalism.
Barnaba da Modena’s career exemplifies a standard narrative in medieval Europe, where an artist from one region settled in another, introducing a new level of craftsmanship that reshaped local art. Through his workshop, which became a dominant force in the city’s artistic life, he shaped local production and trained artists such as Nicolò da Voltri, who continued propagating the Italo-Byzantine style in Genoa well into the 15th century.
