Our Favorite Thing for today is Saint Catherine and Saint Barbara by the Master of the Holy Blood (CMA 1942.633)!🩸Laura Rybicki is a second-year M.A. student studying late medieval art with Professor Elina Gertsman.

“Early Netherlandish painting has always enchanted me with its spectacular attention to the textures and details of rich fabrics and glistening gems. Saints Catherine and Barbara were among the most beloved figures for Christians in late medieval Northern Europe, often appearing opposite one another on altarpieces and flanking a central biblical scene, such as the Crucifixion or Nativity. This was likely the case for this triptych as well.

“While I often wonder what this painting’s central panel looked like, I also appreciate that these two women get their time to shine in the museum without having to compete for attention with a third panel. And shine they certainly do in beautiful velvet, fur, brocade, and fringed garments, as well as bejeweled, gilded, and carefully rendered headwear.

“But my favorite part has to be Catherine’s stunning pink and blue iridescent sleeves. This kind of fabric, shot silk, actually existed in Europe in the early 16th century, and its iridescence allowed it to marvelously change color in different kinds of light. Catherine and Barbara’s fabulous garments signify their immense virtue and holiness, which afforded them such costly garments fit for the noble women of heaven.”