Who painted Enthauptung der hl. Katharina (?)?

Enthauptung der hl. Katharina (?) was painted by Hans Rottenhammer in 1598.

Where can I see Enthauptung der hl. Katharina (?)?

Enthauptung der hl. Katharina (?) is held by Bavarian State Painting Collections.

What movement is Enthauptung der hl. Katharina (?)?

Enthauptung der hl. Katharina (?) is associated with Mannerism.

Artwork

Enthauptung der hl. Katharina (?)

Hans Rottenhammer , 1598

Enthauptung der hl. Katharina (?) is an unspecified painting by the Mannerist artist Hans Rottenhammer. It dates from 1598 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.

About this work

Overview

This 1598 panel by Hans Rottenhammer depicts the martyrdom of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, a subject drawn from early Christian hagiography. The German painter, active during the transition from the sixteenth to the seventeenth century, produced the work as a small-scale devotional image. It now resides in the collection of the Alte Pinakothek in Munich.

Subject & Meaning

At the center stands a robed woman who grips a shattered wheel, the instrument of her failed execution. Her downcast expression conveys resignation. Behind her, a crowned figure holding a staff presides over the scene, while onlookers gather to witness the beheading. Three winged beings hover overhead, witnessing the saint's final moments and suggesting her imminent reception into heaven.

Technique & Style

Rottenhammer executed the scene with the precision characteristic of his cabinet paintings, a format he favored throughout his career.

Rottenhammer executed the scene with the precision characteristic of his cabinet paintings, a format he favored throughout his career. The composition balances the foreground drama with a detailed landscape of trees and distant terrain. The work reflects the elongated proportions and complex spatial arrangements associated with late Mannerism, filtered through the artist's particular attention to minute detail.

Artist & collection

Artist

Hans Rottenhammer

Johann Rottenhammer, or Hans Rottenhammer (1564 – 14 August 1625), was a German painter. He specialized in highly finished paintings on a small scale.