The Beheading of Saint Catherine

Saint Catherine of Alexandria, kneeling with head bowed low, appears just below the center of this circular composition. The saint has already miraculously withstood martyrdom on the wheel, a form of torture that the shape of this engraving plate may reference. She will at last succumb to her executioners, but not without converting hundreds to Christianity by her example. Domenico Campagnola’s fluid, sketchy engraving reinforces the tumultuous scene and emphasizes the dramatically raised sword.