Santa Catalina de Alejandria
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Object Details
- Artist
- Felipe de la Espada, born San Germán, Puerto Rico ca. 1754-died San Germán, Puerto Rico 1818
- Luce Center Label
- Felipe de la Espada and his son Tiburcio carved in the tradition of the most skilled artisans of the Spanish Catholic Church. In this santo, St. Catherine’s gown was decorated using estofado, a method of painting over gold leaf that duplicates the radiance of rich brocade. After Catherine was baptized, Christ appeared to her in a dream and took her as his celestial bride, placing a ring on her finger. As a young woman she angered Maximinus II, who ruled Alexandria, when she converted the empress and the emperor’s philosophers to Christianity. Maximinus ordered Catherine’s death, having her bound between four spiked wheels. A flame from heaven destroyed the wheels, but she was eventually beheaded. She is usually represented in works of art and ritual objects as a beautiful young woman wearing a crown to denote her noble heritage.
- Credit Line
- Smithsonian American Art Museum, Teodoro Vidal Collection
- ca. 1780-1818
- Object number
- 1996.91.37
- Restrictions & Rights
- CC0
- Type
- Sculpture
- Medium
- carved, painted, and gilded wood with glass
- Dimensions
- 33 7/8 x 15 x 11 1/2 in. (86.1 x 38.2 x 29.3 cm.)
- See more items in
- Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
- Department
- Painting and Sculpture
- On View
- Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2nd Floor, South Wing
- Smithsonian American Art Museum
- Topic
- Religion\saint\St. Catherine
- Record ID
- saam_1996.91.37
- Metadata Usage (text)
- CC0
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/vk7050df8a6-3299-4f7d-8ab2-19e6ca444956
This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Open Access page.
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