The Mystical Marriage of Saint Catherine
about 1617/21 | Domenico Fetti
According to medieval legends, St. Catherine had a vision in which the Christ child placed an engagement ring on her finger. In order to avoid the solicitations of the Emperor Maxentius, she recounted this vision and was martyred as a result. The Dominican saints, Dominic (with star and lily) and St. Peter Martyr (with an axe in his head) witness the vision. The eerie, mystical mood of the picture is created by the pale, mottled lighting and the sharply reduced colour range.
According to medieval legends, St. Catherine had a vision in which the Christ child placed an engagement ring on her finger. In order to avoid the solicitations of the Emperor Maxentius, she recounted this vision and was martyred as a result. The Dominican saints, Dominic (with star and lily) and St. Peter Martyr (with an axe in his head) witness the vision. The eerie, mystical mood of the picture is created by the pale, mottled lighting and the sharply reduced colour range.
Artist:
Domenico Fetti (1588/89 Rom - 1623 Venedig) DNB
Time:
about 1617/21
Object Name
Painting
Culture
Italian, Venetian
Material/technology:
Canvas
Dimensions:
229,5 x 140,5 cm
Copyright
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Gemäldegalerie
Invs.
Gemäldegalerie, 167
Provenance
1636 Coll. Bartolomeo della Nave, Venice; 1638-1649 Coll. Hamilton; 1659 Coll. Leopold Wilhelm; in the 18th century in the Hofburgkapelle (Court Chapell); acquired in 1779