How to Identify Saint Catherine of Alexandria in Paintings
Published · Art & See editorial desk
The wheel is a useful clue to Catherine of Alexandria, but identification works best when an object, its setting and the catalogue record agree. Two National Gallery paintings show how differently an artist can present the same saint. [1][2]
The wheel and the palm
In Carlo Crivelli’s Saint Catherine of Alexandria, dated 1476, the National Gallery identifies the spiked wheel and the palm as her traditional attributes. The panel belonged to an altarpiece for San Domenico in Ascoli Piceno. The wheel is turned at a sharp angle; looking only for a perfectly round shape could make it easy to miss. [1]
The wheel belongs to Catherine’s martyrdom narrative. Treat that narrative as religious tradition rather than evidence that the painting records an eyewitness event. A palm can establish a broader connection with martyrdom, but the combination of the named figure, wheel and setting is more informative than the palm alone. [1]
Raphael: fewer attributes, a different emphasis
Raphael’s Saint Catherine of Alexandria, about 1507, shows her leaning against a wheel in a landscape. The National Gallery explicitly notes the absence of the usual sword and martyr’s palm. Her raised gaze and hand against her chest shift attention towards visionary experience. [2]
This is a practical warning against a checklist that requires every familiar attribute. A missing palm does not invalidate the documented identification. Equally, looking upward is not enough to identify an otherwise unnamed woman as Catherine. Compare the whole composition with the exact object record.
Alexandria and Siena are different saints
In Lorenzo d’Alessandro da Sanseverino’s The Marriage of Saint Catherine of Siena, the National Gallery identifies the kneeling saint as a Dominican tertiary. The Christ Child gives her a ring; the museum explains the scene in relation to the mystic marriage associated with her namesake of Alexandria. The figures are also named on their halos. [3]
A ring or the phrase “mystic marriage” therefore does not settle which Catherine is represented. Read the full title, any inscription and the museum’s identification together. Avoid transferring details from a Catherine of Alexandria picture to a Catherine of Siena picture simply because their names overlap.
A useful order of looking
Start with the collection and inventory number, then read the title and attribution. Locate the wheel, palm, ring or inscription that the record actually discusses. Finally, separate the identity of the saint from the artist’s choice of costume, pose and setting. If a damaged or cropped image hides an attribute, leave that observation unresolved instead of inventing a replacement.
| Painting | Date made | Inventory number | Attributes in the record | Saint identified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crivelli, Saint Catherine of Alexandria | 1476 | NG788.4 | Spiked wheel, sharply foreshortened; martyr's palm | Catherine of Alexandria |
| Raphael, Saint Catherine of Alexandria | About 1507 | NG168 | Spiked wheel; sword and palm absent | Catherine of Alexandria |
| Lorenzo d'Alessandro da Sanseverino, The Marriage of Saint Catherine of Siena | Probably about 1481–1500 | NG249 | Ring given by the Christ Child; names inscribed on the halos | Catherine of Siena |
Dates, inventory numbers and attributes as given in each National Gallery catalogue entry. [1][2][3]