Curatorial Notes
Saint Catherine of Alexandria, a Christian, was martyred for refusing to make sacrifices to idols as decreed by the pagan Roman emperor Maxentius. While Maxentius first attempted to slay Catherine with spiked wheels, the machine broke when she prayed for salvation, and the emperor subsequently beheaded her. Catherine is identified in portraits through objects related to her martyrdom, such as a broken wheel, or a palm branch symbolizing the victory of the eternal spirit over mortal flesh. In sixteenth-century Florence, patrician women were often portrayed as such exemplary figures, indicating the virtues of the sitter.
Artwork Identification
Title Portrait of a Woman as Saint Catherine
Title (PT) Retrato de uma mulher como Santa Catarina
Title (ES) Retrato de una mujer como Santa Catalina
Artist Pier Francesco Foschi
Artist Bio Pier Francesco Foschi (Italian, 1502–1567)
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