Saint Catherine c. 1480 - 1490

Israhel van Meckenem created this engraving of Saint Catherine in the late 15th century during a time when the printing press was democratizing image production. Meckenem’s Saint Catherine embodies a complex intersection of power, gender, and religious devotion. As a female saint, Catherine defies the patriarchal norms of the time, wielding a sword, an overt symbol of male power, while also wearing the crown. We also see the broken wheel, an allusion to the method in which she was to be martyred, and a symbol of her faith and ultimate salvation. But while Catherine transgresses the constraints of her gender, she remains an idealized figure, a European woman whose purity and piety are central to her saintly identity. Meckenem's engraving invites us to consider the ways in which historical figures can simultaneously challenge and reinforce social norms. The image gives us permission to imagine the complex identities of those who came before.