Mystieke huwelijk van H. Catharina van Alexandrië 1573 - 1628

Gijsbert Van Veen created this engraving, "Mystical Marriage of St. Catherine of Alexandria," around the turn of the 17th century. His work comes at a time of religious and political upheaval, a period defined by the Reformation and Counter-Reformation. Here, we see Catherine, an intellectual and a woman, symbolically wedded to the infant Christ, an assertion of divine sanction for earthly power. Van Veen layers the scene with figures representing authority, both sacred and secular, reinforcing a deeply hierarchical worldview. The act of the marriage is witnessed by a gathering of male figures who represent both religious and earthly power. Yet, the tenderness with which Mary holds Christ, the gentleness in Catherine's eyes, complicate this picture of power. There’s a subtle, emotional current running beneath the surface, a reminder of the human element within these grand narratives of faith and authority. Van Veen’s engraving invites us to consider the complex interplay between personal devotion, political power, and the ways in which gender and identity were strategically deployed in the service of both.