Saint Catherine of Alexandria - South Germany circa 1500

Carved lime wood, southern Germany, late 15th century.
Saint Catherine is shown standing, holding a book in one hand, symbolizing her erudition, and a sword in the other, which was the object of her loss. Wearing a crown around her braided hair, she is dressed in a dress with a diamond-shaped neckline that closes over a shirt with a towel-pleated collar held together by a lace. Her long coat is turned up in front and held at the belt, forming an elegant drape. The hollowed out back was later closed and sketched out. Was the wheel with teeth, an attribute of the saint, which was used in her torture, attached to the base of our statue? Restorations.

Height : 145 cm

The main source for the hagiography of Saint Catherine is the Golden Legend by Jacques de Voragine written in the 13th century. The work reports that the virgin martyr of Alexandria who lived in the fourth century, known for her immense erudition, was the daughter of a king. Converting many patricians with her learned and peremptory words, then rejecting the marriage advances of the emperor Maximin II Daia, it was decided that she would be crushed by wheels fitted with saws and nails. These were broken by divine intervention and the saint was condemned to be beheaded.