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The Crowning of Saint Catherine

The Crowning of Saint Catherine

Artist: Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577-1640)
Date: 1631 or 1633(?)
Dimensions:
Painting: 104 5/8 × 84 5/8 in. (265.7 × 214.9 cm)
Frame: 120 × 99 1/2 × 6 1/2 in. (304.8 × 252.7 × 16.5 cm)
Medium: oil on canvas
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number: 1950.272
Label Text:Rubens painted this magnificent painting as an altarpiece for the Church of the Augustinians in Mechelen (Malines), modern Belgium. The three saints surrounding the enthroned Madonna were, according to tradition, all tortured and killed in the early centuries of Christianity for refusing to renounce their faith. Apollonia on the left holds the pincers used to pull her teeth. Margaret holds the leash of the dragon that swallowed her. Catherine kneels, contemplating the palm tree branch, emblem of martyrs. The Christ Child places a victory crown of laurel leaves on her head, while above her a cherub clutches the lightning bolts that destroyed the spiked wheels used to torture her.

One of the most sought-after artists of the 17th century, Rubens was hailed as the “god of painters.” Based primarily in Antwerp, he worked for most of the courts in Europe, even undertaking important diplomatic missions for the Spanish king. At the time of his death in 1640, he and his workshop had produced some 2,000 paintings.
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