Saint Catherine of Alexandria

A standing white marble statue of a draped young woman, her hair in a braided knot, holding a palm frond against her side. A broken spiked wheel lies at her feet on a carved pedestal, identifying the figure as Saint Catherine. Soft folds of her gown catch light against a dark grey background.

Look closer: A carved face or shield in relief decorates the front of the pedestal, below the figure's feet.

Artist

Cristoforo Solari

Date

probably 1514–24

Medium

Marble

Source

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Size

1456 × 1941 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Purchase, European Sculpture and Decorative Arts Fund, Walter and Leonore Annenberg Acquisitions Endowment Fund, Mr. and Mrs. Oscar de la Renta Gift, and Josephine Bay Paul and C. Michael Paul Foundation Inc. Gift, by exchange, 2012