Hsc St. Catherine Of Alexandria, Sword, Palm, Crown, Spanish School, 17th Century

Paintingon copper depicting a portrait of Saint Catherine of Alexandria* richly dressed and crowned, holding the sword used in her beheading in her right hand and the martyr’s palm in her left; Spanish school of the 17th century.

This painting is in good condition and of superb quality. The frame is a later addition.

Please note: slight scratches on the frame, signs of age on the painting; see photos.

better known as Saint Catherine, was a virgin and martyr who is said to have lived in the 3rd and 4th centuries. Tradition places her birth in Alexandria and dates her death, at the age of eighteen, in the same city, around the year 307. Her legend and veneration spread from the East to the West and are widely attested to after the Crusades. Her feast day, November 25, is now marked by various popular celebrations, including those for young women over the age of twenty-five seeking marriage, known as the “catherinettes.”  In paintings or frescoes, Saint Catherine is most often depicted standing, recognizable by her attributes: royal garments and often a crown, the cogwheel of her torture—sometimes broken—the ring of her mystical marriage, the palm of the martyrs, the book—symbolizing her erudition—the sword with which she was ultimately beheaded, and at her feet, the corpses of pagan philosophers defeated in her debates and killed by the emperor.

• Frame 42.5 cm x 48.5 cm
• Panel 22.5 cm x 28.5 cm
• Reference: 900 790
• All photos are available at:
  www.antiques-delaval.com