Saint Catherine of Alexandria

Saint Catherine of Alexandria. An illumination by Taddeo Crivelli (Italian, died about 1479, active about 1451 - 1479). Made in Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna, Italy around 1469. Tempera colors, gold paint, gold leaf, and ink on parchment. Saint Catherine is a Christian saint who was, according to her hagiography, martyred in the early 4th century at the hands of the pagan emperor Maxentius. She was both a princess and a scholar who became a Christian around the age of 14, converted hundreds of people to Christianity, and was martyred around the age of 18. She is known as Saint Catherine of the wheel because she was condemned to death on a spiked breaking wheel, but, according to tradition, it shattered at her touch. She was then beheaded. Some modern scholars consider that the legend of Catherine was probably based on the life and murder of the Greek philosopher Hypatia, with reversed roles of Christians and pagans

Picture No

12697022

Media ID

47685070

Size

3260px x 4883px (5.2MB)

Credit

Getty Research Institute/Science Source/Mary Evans