Heilige Catharina 1500 - 1525

This small, unsigned engraving depicts Saint Catherine, recognizable by her attributes: the sword and the wheel, instruments of her martyrdom. She stands triumphant over a vanquished king, a symbol of her spiritual victory. The sword, grasped firmly in her hand, is not merely an instrument of death but a symbol of divine justice and spiritual strength, echoed across centuries in depictions of heroic figures and avenging angels. The wheel, meant to torture her, became her emblem, a testament to the transformative power of faith. Consider how the wheel, in earlier solar cults, symbolized cyclical renewal. Here, it is repurposed, reflecting the Christian narrative of suffering and redemption. This act of symbolic appropriation, transforming pagan symbols into Christian iconography, speaks to a deeper, subconscious human drive to adapt and integrate past beliefs into new frameworks. The image, therefore, engages us not just intellectually, but also emotionally, tapping into primal fears and hopes. The motifs are not linear in progression. Instead, these ancient symbols are in constant dialogue with the present. They evolve, resurface, and take on new meanings, yet their core emotional power persists, continuing to resonate within the collective psyche.