Mystieke huwelijk van de heilige Catharina 1781

Antonio Zaballi created this print, "Mystical Marriage of Saint Catherine," in Italy around the late 18th century. In it, the Virgin Mary holds the Christ child, who places a ring on the finger of Saint Catherine. The imagery here is important. The mystical marriage of Saint Catherine was a popular subject during the Counter-Reformation, meant to symbolize Christ’s bond to the Church. Zaballi’s placement of the figures in a verdant landscape seems intended to stress the Church’s earthly power, its capacity to mediate between the divine and the terrestrial. The imagery is idealized, presenting a vision of harmony and order that arguably papers over the social and political tensions of the time. As art historians, we can use sources like period literature, religious texts, and social histories to further unpack the meanings and contexts embedded in Zaballi’s print. Art never exists in a vacuum; it’s always shaped by and commenting on the world around it.