Den hellige Katarina som martyr 1605 - 1615

Abraham Bloemaert created this drawing of the martyred Saint Catherine, likely in the Netherlands during the early 17th century, using pen and brown ink and wash. The image depicts Catherine at the moment of her death, her broken wheel to the side and an angel descending with the palm of martyrdom. Bloemaert lived through the Dutch Revolt, a time of religious conflict and the drawing reflects the culture’s devotion to religious imagery. The devotional representation of Saint Catherine makes her a figure of strength and highlights the themes of faith and sacrifice, central to the Catholic and Protestant beliefs of the period. To fully understand the context of this drawing, one could examine emblem books, collections of symbolic images paired with explanatory text, which were popular at the time, and explore the patronage networks that supported artists. Art's meaning is deeply rooted in its original social and institutional setting.