17th century

17th century

Saint Catherine of Alexandria

Oil on copper, 11 x 8 cm

With frame, 21 x 18 cm

The saint depicted on this small copper plate is Catherine of Alexandria, a martyr venerated by both the Catholic and Orthodox churches. She lived between the 3rd and 4th centuries A.D., and information about her life is found in sources dating back several centuries, including the Golden Legend by the Dominican friar Jacopo da Varagine. According to these sources, she lived in Alexandria, Egypt, where she grew up as an orphan, surrounded by the attention of many suitors due to her great beauty. However, one night she had a dream of the Virgin Mary and the Child placing a ring on her finger, consecrating her as sponsa Christi (bride of Christ) and awakening in her the calling for a life entirely devoted to Christ alone and no other man.

Regarding Catherine's martyrdom, it was due to her refusal to honor the pagan rites during a festival held in honor of the Roman Emperor in 305 at the palace. Catherine refused the sacrifices and asked the emperor to recognize Jesus Christ as the redeemer of humanity, arguing her invitation with philosophical depth. The emperor tried to convince her to worship the gods without success and thus sentenced her to death by the torture of the spiked wheel. During her martyrdom, a bolt of lightning came down from the sky and split the spiked wheel in half, forcing the emperor to have her beheaded. From her severed neck, not blood but milk flowed, a symbol of her purity.

The episodes of her life are reflected in the attributes with which the saint is usually represented: the crown, a symbol of royalty and her mystical marriage to Christ, the broken spiked wheel and the sword, symbols of her martyrdom along with the common martyr's palm. These same objects are found in this copper painting, associated with a serene figure in a relaxed pose, who looks ecstatically at the clear sky from which faint rays of divine light descend.

With Ars Antiqua it is possible to defer all amounts up to a maximum € 7,500 at ZERO RATE, for a total of 15 INSTALLMENTS.

Unpardoned. Vault. € 4,500 = Monthly instalment € 300 for 15 months.

Unpardoned. Vault. € 3,600 = Monthly instalment € 720 for 5 months.

For amounts greater than €7,500 or for a longer period of time (over 15 installments), we can provide a personalized payment.

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