3-002-495 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Saint Catherine of Alexandria with Three Scenes from Her Life, 18th century. According to legend, Saint Catherine was a learned noble maiden from the Egyptian city of Alexandria who was martyred in the early 4th century on account of her Christian faith. The three small scenes at the bottom of this panel illustrate episodes from her life: the Roman empress is persuaded by Catherine to become a Christian; Catherine is beheaded by order of the pagan emperor; angels carry the saint's body to the top of a mountain on the Sinai Peninsula (below is depicted the vision of Saint Eusthatius, who was converted to Christianity when while hunting he saw a deer with a crucifix between its antlers).