Saint Catherine Reading c. 1480 - 1490

This is a striking engraving of Saint Catherine Reading, by the Monogrammist WAH. Here, Catherine, crowned and serene, is framed by a bustling city, yet she is set apart, absorbed in her book. At her feet lie a broken wheel and a sword, potent symbols of her martyrdom. The wheel, meant to torture her, shattered upon her touch—an echo of divine intervention found in myriad forms across cultures. Consider the Egyptian cartouche, where a king's name is encircled, protected, much like Catherine within the divine narrative. The sword, a symbol of finality, also resonates with ancient meanings—a protective emblem, like the Roman gladius, yet here, it signifies sacrifice. Such symbols aren't static; they evolve. The wheel, once a tool of torture, now speaks of Catherine’s triumph, a shift mirroring the transformation of the cross from an instrument of death to a symbol of redemption. This visual vocabulary taps into our collective memory, engaging us on a subconscious level. We see not just a saint, but the enduring power of faith and the cyclical nature of suffering and salvation.