Saint Catherine Flanked by a Male and a Female Saint 1600 - 1700

This drawing depicts Saint Catherine, flanked by a male and a female saint. Note Catherine’s wheel, a symbol of her martyrdom and the triumph of faith over earthly trials. The wheel appears as early as the 14th century, often broken to signify her miraculous escape from its deadly spikes before her eventual beheading. The motif of the wheel, however, is not unique to Catherine. Consider its symbolic resonance across cultures—the wheel of fortune, the Buddhist dharma wheel, each representing cycles of fate, enlightenment, and cosmic order. In a way, the broken wheel of Saint Catherine is a symbol of the same psychological impulse, to grapple with forces beyond our control. Here, the artist taps into our collective memory, and the subconscious understanding of cyclical patterns, inviting viewers to ponder the transient nature of existence, as the saint transforms suffering into spiritual transcendence.