Artwork Page for The Martyrdom of Saint Catherine of Alexandria

Details / Information for The Martyrdom of Saint Catherine of Alexandria

The Martyrdom of Saint Catherine of Alexandria

c. 1497
(German, 1471–1528)
Medium
woodcut
Catalogue raisonné
Meder 236
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view

Description

Saint Catherine was among the most popular virgin martyrs during this period and was particularly venerated in Dürer’s hometown of Nuremberg for her intermediary role between the faithful and God. A princess from Alexandria, Catherine was condemned to die on spiked wheels by the Roman emperor Maxentius because of her Christian faith. In answer to her prayers, God destroyed the wheels with such force that 4,000 pagans were killed. Afterward, Catherine was willingly decapitated. Dürer’s focus on Catherine’s peaceful acceptance in the midst of destruction conveys the power she derived from her chastity and unwavering faith, providing an excellent example for ordinary women to follow.
A vertically oriented print in black ink on white-gray paper depicts Saint Catherine of Alexandria, a woman with light skin tone, kneeling in prayer before burning spiked wheels on the left. Debris explodes from the sky over people, mainly clustered to the right, who duck and throw their arms in the air. To her right, a person seen from behind unsheathes a sword, looking down at her. In the upper left, a city sits among mountains.

The Martyrdom of Saint Catherine of Alexandria

c. 1497

Albrecht Dürer

(German, 1471–1528)
Germany, late 15th-early 16th Century

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