The Martyrdom of Saint Catherine of Alexandria

1497

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Dominant colour

The Martyrdom of Saint Catherine of Alexandria is a 1497 by Albrecht Dürer, a Renaissance work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Albrecht Dürer
When & what style?: 1497 · Renaissance
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

You see a woman tied to a broken wheel, angels swooping down, and a man with a sword raised behind her. Dürer painted this just after returning to Germany from Italy. The twisted bodies and sharp folds in the robes show how he mixed Northern detail with Italian drama. The broken wheel was supposed to kill her, but lightning shattered it—here, the wood still smokes. Look up *chiaroscuro* to see how light and shadow make the scene feel alive.

The story of this work

Overview

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…

Read the full account in the museum source.