Why it matters
Saint Catherine is shown with the spiked wheel on which she was to be put to death. Caravaggio painted her while living with Cardinal del Monte, and controversially used the well-known Roman courtesan Fillide Melandroni as his model.
Did you know?
- It was painted around 1593.
- Fillide also modelled for his Judith Beheading Holofernes.
- According to legend the wheel shattered the moment Catherine touched it.
Based on the Wikipedia article Saint Catherine of Alexandria (Caravaggio) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
