Madonna and Child with Saints Catherine, Nicholas and Francis

Catena was a close follower of the great Venetian painter Giovanni Bellini (active around 1459, died 1516) and this picture contains many details borrowed directly from Bellini's works. The kneeling figure is the donor who commissioned the painting. His sober dress suggests he was a notary or legal officer, possibly from the Venetian-controlled town of Parenzo (now Porec in Croatia). On the left is probably Catherine of Siena, on the right are St. Nicholas and St. Francis of Assisi.