Martyrs, mystics and sacred marriages · Saint Catherine

From Catherine of Alexandria to Catherine of Siena, this collection brings together wheels, ecstasies, mystical marriages and sacred conversations interpreted by European masters.

The name of Saint Catherine brings together several figures in painting, two of which dominate Western iconography. Catherine of Alexandria, learned princess and legendary martyr, can be recognized by the broken wheel, the sword, the crown and the palm. Her mystical marriage with the Child Jesus inspires countless compositions from the Renaissance and the Baroque age. Catherine of Siena, a Dominican tertiary from the 14th century, appears in white and black clothing, wearing the lily, the crucifix, the stigmata or the heart. Her ecstasies, Dominican tertiary from the 14th century, appears in white and black clothing, wearing the lily, the crucifix, the stigmata or the heart. Her ecstasies, her communion and her own mystical marriage develop a more interior register. This general collection allows us to compare the two traditions: princely splendor and story of martyrdom for Alexandrine; Dominican simplicity and visionary experience for Sienese. Cranach, Correggio, Murillo, Giovanni di Paolo and the Carracci give these episodes very different forms, from the precision of the altarpiece to the baroque movement. The "Saint Catherine" selection notably compares The Ecstasy of Saint Catherine of Siena - Agostino Carracci and The Miraculous Communion of Catherine of Siena - Giovanni di Paolo. His reading favors atmosphere.

Under the same first name, the painting opposes and brings together two powerful images: the learned princess facing the wheel and the Dominican mystique captured by the vision.