Sculpture of Saint Catherine in carved oak, late 15th century

A very beautiful sculpture from the late 15th century, carved in the round on oak, representing Saint Catherine of Alexandria.
The Saint stands, holding the wheel in her left hand, the symbol of her martyrdom.
She is represented as a princess, crowned and dressed in elegant drapery: a long dress and coat falling in wide broken folds on the front.
The elongated face, framed by tightly curled hair, gently expresses all the courage and determination of the Saint in her Christian faith.
At her feet, the head of Emperor Maximian, as if overwhelmed by the stature of Saint Catherine.
The beauty of the hair, the nervousness of the sculpture, the realism of the face, the nobility of the attitude allow us to consider, for this Saint Catherine, a Flemish production from the end of the 15th century.

Dimensions: H. 96 cm x W. 35 cm x D. 22 cm

Flanders
Oak
Late 15th century
(missing right hand)

Known by The Golden Legend of Jacques de Voragine, Catherine is said to have been born in 294 into a noble family in Alexandria, Egypt. She quickly acquired knowledge that placed her at the level of the greatest poets and philosophers of the time
Daughter of the governor of Alexandria of Egypt, Constus, during the reign of Emperor Maximian, Saint Catherine's real name was Catherine of Alexandria.
A highly cultured woman, Catherine of Alexandria decided after dreaming of Jesus Christ, to devote her life to him, and considered herself his fiancée.
She tried to convert Emperor Maximian to Christianity. The emperor, knowing that Catherine was very learned, decided to put her to the test in front of fifty scholars, but her intelligence allowed them to be convinced and converted.
Mad with anger, the emperor Maximian had all the scholars executed. However, seduced by Catherine's knowledge and intelligence, he proposed marriage to her. Catherine refused.
Humiliated, Maximian had Catherine tortured using a wheel made of sharp spikes. But by a miracle, the spikes broke on contact with Catherine's skin. The emperor then had her beheaded.
In the past, the statues of Saint Catherine placed in churches were decorated with a headdress that was renewed every year. This operation was the privilege of young women over 25 years old and still single. Thus the expression "she is going to comb Saint Catherine's head" meant that the young woman in question had still not found a husband.
Currently, in some regions, on November 25, we meet young women of 25 who are still single and wear ornate and multi-colored hats (sometimes dominated by green and yellow) made for the occasion. They are called Catherinettes.
Saint Catherine is invoked against migraines by breastfeeding women, and to protect against shipwrecks. She is also the patron saint of barbers, wheelwrights, ropemakers, drapers, schoolchildren and students, wool spinners, millers, notaries, wet nurses, orators, philosophers, plumbers, potters, preachers, knife grinders, tailors, theologians, and turners.