09 works, Today, November 25th, is Saint Catherine of Alexandria's day, her story, illustrated #328

Unknown artist

Scenes from the Life of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, ca. 1430-1450

Oil on panel

62.8 × 162 × 5.5 cm (24.7 × 63.7 × 2.1 in)

Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, Maryland, United States

The left-hand panel depicts Saint Catherine's vision of the Madonna and Child: the Christ Child did not find Catherine worthy because she wasn't baptised and refused to look at her. The middle scene illustrates her baptism. The right-hand panel presents her second vision of the Madonna and Child: as a baptised Christian she is now worthy in Christ's eyes and she is joined to him in a mystic marriage. More on this work

Catherine of Alexandria, or Katherine of Alexandria, according to tradition, a Christian saint and virgin, who was martyred in the early 4th century at the hands of the emperor Maxentius. According to her hagiography, she was both a princess and a noted scholar who became a Christian around the age of 14, converted hundreds of people to Christianity and was martyred around the age of 18. More than 1,100 years after Catherine's martyrdom, Joan of Arc identified her as one of the saints who appeared to and counselled her.

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.

Artemesia Gentileschi, Rome 1593 - Naples 1652/3

Saint Catherine of Alexandria

Oil on canvas

29 3/4 by 23 3/4 in.; 75.5 by 60.4 cm.

Private collection

This work  represents Saint Catherine of Alexandria, holding the palm of her martyrdom in one hand and her book in the other which she props up on the spiked wheel (an instrument of her martydom).  She looks up in in astonishment overhead, and it is likely that Artemesia is depicting the moment of her vision of the Madonna and Child. More on this work

Artemisia Gentileschi; (July 8, 1593 – c. 1656) was an Italian Baroque painter, today considered one of the most accomplished painters in the generation following that of Caravaggio. In an era when women painters were not easily accepted by the artistic community or patrons, she was the first woman to become a member of the Accademia di Arte del Disegno in Florence.

 

She painted many pictures of strong and suffering women from myth and the Bible – victims, suicides, warriors.

 

Her best-known work is Judith Slaying Holofernes (a well-known medieval and baroque subject in art), which "shows the decapitation of Holofernes, a scene of horrific struggle and blood-letting". That she was a woman painting in the seventeenth century and that she was raped and participated in prosecuting the rapist, long overshadowed her achievements as an artist. For many years she was regarded as a curiosity. Today she is regarded as one of the most progressive and expressionist painters of her generation. More on Artemisia Gentileschi

Catherine was the daughter of Constus, the governor of Alexandria during the reign of the emperor Maximian (286–305). From a young age she devoted herself to study. A vision of the Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus persuaded her to become a Christian. 

Masolino da Panicale

St Catherine Disputing with Scholars, c. 1425-31

Fresco

Castiglione Chapel, San Clemente, Rome

Masolino da Panicale (born 1383, Panicale, near Perugia, Romagna—died probably 1440–47, Florence) was a painter who achieved a compromise between the International Gothic manner and the advanced early Renaissance style of his own day and who owes his prominence in the history of Florentine art not to his innovations but to his lyrical style and his unfailing artistry.

In 1423, Masolino joined the Florentine guild Arte dei Medici e Spezial, which included painters as an independent branch He spent many years traveling, including a trip to Hungary from September 1425 to July 1427. He was selected by Pope Martin V, on the return of the papacy to Rome in 1420, to paint the altarpiece for his family chapel in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, and later by Cardinal Branda da Castiglione to paint the Saint Catherine Chapel in the Basilica of San Clemente, Rome. In the interim, he collaborated with his younger colleague, Masaccio, to paint the frescoes in the Brancacci Chapel in the Basilica of Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence, which were much admired by fellow artists throughout the fifteenth century. He painted a cycle of 300 famous historical figures in the Orsini Palace in Rome about 1433-4 and also worked in Todi. He spent his later years, after 1435, working for Cardinal Branda Castiglione in Castiglione Olona. More on Masolino da Panicale

When the persecutions began under Maxentius, she went to the emperor and rebuked him for his cruelty. The emperor summoned 50 of the best pagan philosophers and orators to dispute with her, hoping that they would refute her pro-Christian arguments, but Catherine won the debate. Several of her adversaries, conquered by her eloquence, declared themselves Christians and were at once put to death.

Gaudenzio Ferrari (1475–1546)

The Martyrdom of St Catherine of Alexandria, c. first half of 16th century

Oil on panel

Height: 334 cm (10.9 ft); Width: 210 cm (82.6 in)

Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan , Italy

In the scene of the Miracle of the Wheel an angel intervenes to stop the torture of the saint commanded by Maxentius. The emperor looking down at the interrupted martyrdom from a high loggia.

Gaudenzio Ferrari (c. 1471 – January 11, 1546) was a Northern Italian painter and sculptor of the Renaissance.

Gaudenzio was born to Franchino Ferrari at Valduggia in the Valsesia in the Duchy of Milan. He is said to have first learned the art of painting at Vercelli from Gerolamo Giovenone. He subsequently studied in Milan, in the school of the Cathedral. In 1504 he proceeded to Florence. It was once thought that he later moved to Rome. He died in Milan. More on Gaudenzio Ferrari

 Pseudo-Jacopino di Francesco

St. Catherine of Alexandria Freed from the Wheel, circa 1325–1330
 Tempera and gold leaf on panel

25 x 32 1/4 in. (63.5 x 81.9 cm)

North Carolina Museum of Art Foundation

Pseudo-Jacopino di Francesco was an Italian painter or group of painters. Jacopino di Francesco Bavosi was a well-documented artist active 1360-83 whose work has not been satisfactorily identified. In 1365 Jacopino and his son Pietro, who was also a painter (active 1365-1383), were employed as junior partners of Andrea de' Bartoli on frescoes for the Visconti Palace at Pavia.

The first work of the principal artist of the earlier works of this group is a small Crucifixion (Musée du Petit Palais, Avignon), in which strong Riminese influence is evident in the incised diapered gold background, close-set, vertical drapery folds and the olive greens and pinks. The lively gestures and distinctive dress of the protagonists are typical of the works produced c. 1320-40 . More on Pseudo-Jacopino di Francesco

Catherine was then scourged and imprisoned. She was scourged so cruelly and for so long that her whole body was covered with wounds, from which the blood flowed in streams. The spectators wept with pity, but Catherine stood with her eyes raised to heaven, without giving a sign of suffering or fear. Maxentius ordered her to be imprisoned without food, so she would starve to death. 

Paolo Veronese, (1528–1588)

Saint Catherine of Alexandria in Prison, between 1580 and 1585

Oil on canvas

45 3/4 x 33 in. (116.2 x 83.8 cm)

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Bonifacio Veronese, birth name: Bonifacio de' Pitati (1487 – 19 October 1553) was an Italian Renaissance painter who was active in Venice. His work had an important influence on the younger generation of painters in Venice.

The artist was born in Verona from which his family moved to Venice around 1505. Here the young artist reputedly trained under Palma il Vecchio. He was initially a close follower of il Vecchio. He ran a large workshop in Venice, which could execute small devotional works as well as large painting projects. His early work also shows his knowledge of Giorgione and Titian

He created a large series of narrative paintings for the Palazzo dei Camerlenghi. It tool 20 years to complete the project.

His style was influenced by that of Giorgione and Titian. From the 1530s the artist introduced some figurative elements of central Italian origin derived mainly from Raphael. During those years he made a fortune in Venice. Many cassoni and furniture decorations are attributed to him. More Bonifacio Veronese

During the confinement, angels tended her wounds with salve. Catherine was fed daily by a dove from Heaven and Christ also visited her, encouraging her to fight bravely, and promised her the crown of everlasting glory.

During her imprisonment more than 200 people came to see her, including Maxentius' wife, Valeria Maximilla; all converted to Christianity and were subsequently martyred. Twelve days later, when the dungeon was opened, a bright light and fragrant perfume filled it and Catherine came forth even more radiant and beautiful.

Italian (Florentine) School

The Martyrdom of Saint Catherine, c.1510

Oil on poplar panel

H 25.5 x W 51.2 cm

Victoria and Albert Museum

Florentine School was a major Italian school of art that flourished between the 13th and 16th centuries, extending from the Early Renaissance to the crisis of Renaissance culture.

The founder of the Florentine school was Giotto, whose work placed Florence in the foreground of pre-Renaissance art. The work of his successors, who included Taddeo Gaddi and Maso di Banco, developed along the lines he had originated. However, toward the middle of the 14th century conciseness and clarity of form (as seen in the work of A. di Bonaiuti) disappeared, and a tendency toward linear and flat form became prevalent (Nardo di Cione and, occasionally, Orcagna). In the last 30 years of the 14th century a trend toward the international Gothic style prevailed (Agnolo Gaddi and Lorenzo Monaco). More on Florentine School

Flemish (Antwerp) School

The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, early 16th C

Oil on wood panel

H 62.2 x W 46.1 cm

Brighton and Hove Museums and Art Galleries

The 'mystic marriage' of Saint Catherine – a popular subject in the later Middle Ages and Renaissance where the infant Jesus places a ring on Catherine's finger, symbolising her divine 'marriage' to him. This is why some portrayals of Catherine feature a ring and/or veil.

The Antwerp School is a term for the artists active in Antwerp, first during the 16th century when the city was the economic center of the Low Countries, and then during the 17th century when it became the artistic stronghold of the Flemish Baroque under Peter Paul Rubens.

Antwerp took over from Bruges as the main trading and commercial center of the Low Countries around 1500. Painters, artists and craftsmen joined the Guild of Saint Luke, which educated apprentices and guaranteed quality.  More Ecole Anversoise

Upon the failure of Maxentius to make Catherine yield by way of torture, he tried to win the beautiful and wise princess over by proposing marriage. Catherine refused, declaring that her spouse was Jesus Christ, to whom she had consecrated her virginity.

Jan Provoost, (1462–1525/1529)

The Martyrdom of St Catherine, c. first half of 16th century

Oil on panel

Height: 94 cm (37 in); Width: 68 cm (26.7 in)

Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp

Jan Provoost, or Jean Provost, or Jan Provost (1462/65 – January 1529) was a Belgian painter born in Mons.

Provost was a prolific master who left his early workshop in Valenciennes to run two workshops, one in Bruges, where he was made a burgher in 1494, the other simultaneously in Antwerp, which was the economic centre of the Low Countries. Provost was also a cartographer, engineer, and architect. He met Albrecht Dürer in Antwerp in 1520, and a Dürer portrait drawing at the National Gallery, London, is conjectured to be of Provost. He married the widow of the miniaturist and painter Simon Marmion, after whose death he inherited the considerable Marmion estate. He died in Bruges, in January 1529.

The styles of Gerard David and Hans Memling can be detected in Provoost's religious paintings. The Last Judgement painted for the Bruges town hall in 1525 is the only painting for which documentary evidence identifies Provost. Surprising discoveries can still be made: in 1971 an unknown and anonymous panoramic Crucifixion from the village church at Koolkerke was identified as Provost's. It is on permanent loan to the Groeningemuseum, Bruges, which has several works of Provost. A retrospective exhibition took place in 2008–2009. More on Jan Provoost

The furious emperor condemned Catherine to death on a spiked breaking wheel, but, at her touch, it shattered. Maxentius ordered her to be beheaded. Catherine herself ordered the execution to commence. A milk-like substance rather than blood flowed from her neck. More on Saint Catherine

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