Holy Family with the Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine
Curatorial Notes
The marriage shown in this painting is called “mystic” because it was a purely symbolic. The infant Jesus places a ring on the finger of Catherine of Alexandria, a fourth-century saint who had a vision of dedicating herself to God and remaining a virgin instead of marrying. Note the otherworldly quality of the women and children’s elegant faces, compared to the naturalism of elderly Saint Joseph, who may be a likeness of someone the artist knew.
Artwork Identification
Title Holy Family with the Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine
Title (PT) Sagrada Família com os Desposórios Místicos de Santa Catarina
Title (ES) Sagrada Familia con los Desposorios Místicos de Santa Catalina
Artist Tommaso d’Antonio Manzuoli, called Maso da San Friano
Artist Bio Tommaso d’Antonio Manzuoli, called Maso da San Friano (Italian, 1531–1571)
Date c. 1560
Work Type Painting
Location & Collection
Institution Cleveland Museum of Art
Source View Museum Page
License Creative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0
