The Mystic Marriage of St Catherine 

Giulio Cesare Procaccini painted 'The Mystic Marriage of St Catherine' using oil on canvas. The sensuous, tactile qualities of oil paint are evident in the rich folds of fabric and the soft skin of the figures. The artist would have built up layers of paint, manipulating its viscosity to create highlights and shadows that define the forms. It's important to remember that in Procaccini's time, paints were carefully hand-ground by apprentices. The quality of the pigments would have been crucial to achieving such vibrant colors. Considering the social context, the commission of such a painting often involved a patron, whose wealth allowed for the acquisition of expensive materials and the artist's time. This relationship between artistic labor, patronage, and the value placed on craftsmanship is key to understanding the painting’s existence. Looking closely, we can see the artist’s technical skill and understand more deeply the social dynamics of artistic production in the 17th century.