Caravaggio - Saint Catherine of Alexandria 1598
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Saint Catherine of Alexandria 1598
173x133cm oil/canvas
Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Madrid, Spain
The image is only being used for informational and educational purposes
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From Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Madrid:
This painting was almost certainly commissioned in Rome by Caravaggio’s first patron, Cardinal Francesco Maria del Monte. Captured in a strikingly natural pose, the figure of St Catherine has been identified as Fillide Melandroni, a celebrated courtesan of the time. Richly dressed in robes befitting a princess, and kneeling on a cushion, she gazes out at the viewer surrounded by the attributes of her martyrdom: the breaking-wheel, the sword with which she was beheaded and the martyr’s palm. The dramatic lighting of the scene creates a chiaroscuro effect characteristic of Caravaggio, whose approach to light and volume—evident in this canvas—was to have considerable impact both in Italy and throughout Europe.