Where can I see The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine of Alexandria?

The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine of Alexandria is held by Fitzwilliam Museum.

Artwork

The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine of Alexandria

The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine of Alexandria is an unspecified painting by Donato Creti. It dates from 1698 and is held in the collection of the Fitzwilliam Museum.

About this work

Overview

Donato Creti, an Italian painter active in Bologna at the close of the seventeenth century, completed *The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine of Alexandria* in 1698. The work is a religious composition now part of the Fitzwilliam Museum’s holdings, illustrating a moment of devotional intimacy within a Rococo‑inflected visual language.

Subject & Meaning

The central figure, a woman identified as Saint Catherine, is shown cradling an infant, a symbolic representation of her mystical union with Christ. Surrounding figures, dressed in flowing robes, turn their attention toward her, while playful cherubs hover above, reinforcing the theme of heavenly approval and spiritual marriage.

Technique & Style

Creti employs a restrained palette of browns and whites, applying soft, feathery brushstrokes that lend the scene a gentle luminosity. Controlled modeling of the figures and a subtle chiaroscuro effect create depth, guiding the eye toward the central interaction while maintaining the decorative elegance typical of Rococo.

History & Provenance

Painted in 1698, the canvas remained in private collections before entering the Fitzwilliam Museum, where it is displayed as part of the institution’s Baroque and Rococo holdings. Its acquisition reflects the museum’s interest in works that bridge decorative Rococo sensibilities with emerging neoclassical restraint.

Context

Creti’s oeuvre is noted for merging Rococo ornamentation with a more formal, neoclassical approach. This painting exemplifies that synthesis, situating a devotional narrative within a composition that balances ornamental lightness with disciplined figure rendering, characteristic of late‑seventeenth‑century Bolognese art.