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Painting Interpretation
Saint Catherine of Alexandria
Saint Catherine of Alexandria was a favorite subject of art during the late Renaissance. The painting of Saint Catherine to which this analysis will refer is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was painted by an unknown painter who is believed to have been from the Netherlands and painted the piece in the last quarter of the 15th century.
When examining a piece that portrays a famous person, it helps to know something about their story to aid in understanding the piece. Saint Catherine was a Christian saint virgin, who was martyred in the 4th century by Empower Maxentius. Saint Catherine opposed the pagan Emperor for executing Christians who refused to worship idols. She beat the Emperor in a debate about the matter and won. This enraged the Emperor who put her in prison. She was visited by hundreds, including the Emperors wife who converted to Christianity. Saint Catherine was sentenced to death on a spiked breaking wheel, which miraculously broke. The Emperor had to settle for beheading her (Lewis, 2000). Narrative...
The artist's use of grey scale adds to the somber tone. Catherine stands on Emperor Maxentius in triumph, but she is not smiling. We know that this is the Emperor because he holds a scepter and is richly dressed, by Renaissance standards. She has a solemn expression. This painting retells the story of Saint Catherine, with the broken spiked wheel beside her. There are actually two Catherines in the painting. One in the foreground, who is reading a book, we can assume is a Bible, representing the Christian faith that she defended. The other Catherine is in the background in prayer position about to be beheaded. The two Catherines are wearing different clothing, indicating two different time periods. This supports that this is a narrative, rather than an iconic painting.
The painting is devoid of iconography. There are few unnecessary objects in the painting. The only objects…
References
Stokstad, Marilyn in collaboration with David Cateforis. Art History. Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Pearson/Prentice Hall, c2005.
Lewis, K.(2000) The Cult of St. Katherine of Alexiandria in Late Medieval England (Rochester:
The Boydell Press, 2000),
http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/110001649
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