Saint Catherine of Alexandria
Unknown Artist
ca. 1500
Medium
Lead-glazed earthenware (Hafnerware); with some tin-glazed white areas.
Dimensions
Gr. H. 12-3/8 x Gr. W. 7-7/8 in. (31.4 x 20.0 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Pottery
Culture
German, Saxony or Thuringia
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of R. Thornton Wilson, in memory of the late Harriette Post Welles, 1969
Accession Number
69.240
Tags
Art Historical Context
This charming statuette of *Saint Catherine of Alexandria*, crafted around 1500 in Saxony or Thuringia,, captures the saint as a symbol of faith and resilience during the late Gothic period. Saint Catherine, a revered Christian martyr, is often depicted with attributes like the spiked breaking wheel—from which she miraculously survived—and a sword signifying her beheading. Produced as a devotional object, this piece likely adorned private altars or homes, reflecting the era's deep Catholic piety amid the eve of the Reformation. Made of lead-glazed earthenware known as Hafnerware, the sculptur...