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The visual depiction of the mystic betrothal of the Infant Jesus to Catherine came from words given to her in 'The Golden Legend', written by Jacopo de Voragine in the thirteenth century. Here Christ is offering a ring, and Saint Catherine, wearing a crown to signify her own royal birth, is having her hand held out to receive it. In the foreground is part of the spiked wheel on which she was tortured. The wheel is the symbol of her martyrdom, although not her actual death (the pagan Emperor Maxentius finally killed her by decapitation in around AD 310). In the background is the desert hermit, Adrian, who converted her to Christianity. The infant John the Baptist is present, but scholars disagree who the other two women are. Some say it is not Anne supporting Christ but his mother and that it is not the Virgin who sits on the throne beside Catherine but her mother, Queen Sabinella. Above, cherubim hover holding the golden circlet of eternity.
Title
The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine
Date
1590–1595
Medium
oil on copper
Measurements
H 47.5 x W 38 cm
Accession number
732108
Acquisition method
gift from Sir Henry Hugh Arthur Hoare along with the estate, house and its contents, 1946
Work type
Painting
National Trust, Stourhead
Stourton, Warminster, Wiltshire BA12 6QD England
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The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine National Trust, Stourhead