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Biographical Icon of St. Catherine of Alexandria

Painting
Tempera on curved wood panel with red, blue, and mustard yellow border. Black Cyrillic captions (12 total) are in the mustard yellow border on the outside of the scenes they represent. The middle image features a woman standing on dark rolling hills with small white castle in the back left. She wears a gold rounded crown in red cape, blue tunic with gold embellishments over pale pink gown looking to the left with both arms gesturing that direction. In the upper left corner is Christ in blue and pink robes in the clouds looking back and holding script & three finger blessing gesture towards the woman. Around this image are 12 smaller images depicting different scenes in the woman's (St. Catherine, labelled in each scene in black Cyrillic above her head) life with gold leaf halos.

2005.02.045

Panel

Tempera

Betsy Scheuring Icon Collection

2005.02

Betsy Scheuring

Gift

Gift of Betsy Scheuring

1800 - 1850

Kostroma, Russia

Icon

Symbol, Religious

Religious Objects

Ceremonial Objects

Category 08: Communication Objects

13-1/2 in

11-1/4 in

1-1/4 in

Spirit Made Tangible: The Scheuring Icon Collection (2006)

Cultural/Historical Context

St. Catherine appears dressed as a princess with a crown and royal vestments, her hands lifted in prayer to Jesus, located above her in the clouds. She is standing in a rugged landscape with a building in the distance. The twelve scenes in the border tell the story of her life and martyrdom. According to legend, Catherine was a highly educated princess of Alexandria and a very devout Christian, who in a vision saw herself betrothed to the infant Christ. The emperor Maxentius (reigned 306-312) demanded that she renounce her faith, but she instead defeated his philosophers in argument and converted them to Christianity. Maxentius also tried to have her torn to pieces by two spiked wheels, but the wheels were struck by lightning and destroyed. Finally, Catherine was beheaded, and according to tradition, her remains were brought to the monastery at Mt. Sinai which bears her name. She is often shown with a broken wheel as her principal attribute.

Biographical Icon of St. Catherine of Alexandria picture number 1