Saint Catherine of Alexandria

Museum record 31599: Saint Catherine of Alexandria by Peter Paul Rubens. A verified entry point for discovery.

What to notice

For Saint Catherine of Alexandria (record 31599), start with modern, expressive, atmospheric. Compare the focal subject, edge treatment, and atmosphere before moving on.

Discover

Peter Paul Rubens was one of the most talented and famous artists in northern Europe in the 17th century. Throughout his career, he relied on professional printmakers to help him publicize his images, but he probably made no more than three etchings, of which Saint Catherine of Alexandria in the Clouds is most often accepted as his work. This sheet depicts the saint atop the wheel of her martyrdom, just as Rubens painted her in the Jesuit church in Antwerp (1620/21). The artist may have turned to printma…