Who painted Vision and Swoon of St Catherine?

Vision and Swoon of St Catherine was painted by Sodoma.

Where can I see Vision and Swoon of St Catherine?

Vision and Swoon of St Catherine is held by Victoria and Albert Museum.

What movement is Vision and Swoon of St Catherine?

Vision and Swoon of St Catherine is associated with Impressionism.

Artwork

Vision and Swoon of St Catherine

Sodoma

Vision and Swoon of St Catherine is a print by the Impressionist artist Sodoma. It is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

About this work

Overview

The work titled “Vision and Swoon of St Catherine” is a chromolithographic print, a colour lithography method that reproduces images through a series of stone plates, each dedicated to a single hue. The final image emerges after successive impressions are transferred onto paper, yielding a richly coloured representation of the saint’s narrative scene.

Subject & Meaning

The composition depicts Saint Catherine, a revered early‑Christian martyr, in a moment of visionary ecstasy. The title suggests a dual focus on her spiritual revelation (“Vision”) and the physical response of swooning, a motif often employed to convey divine encounter and sanctified fervor.

Technique & Style

Chromolithography relies on drawing the design with greasy chalk onto a lithographic stone, then moistening the surface so that water repels the greasy areas.

Chromolithography relies on drawing the design with greasy chalk onto a lithographic stone, then moistening the surface so that water repels the greasy areas. Ink adheres only to the drawn sections, and each colour requires a separate stone. The resulting print displays the strong light‑and‑dark contrasts reminiscent of chiaroscuro, a quality also noted in the works of the Renaissance painter Sodoma.

History & Provenance

The print was commissioned by the Arundel Society, an organization active in the late nineteenth century that disseminated reproductions of Italian fresco cycles from the 14th to 16th centuries. After selection by the Society’s council, artists produced watercolour copies which were then transferred to the lithographic process for mass distribution to members.

Context

By the time the Arundel Society dissolved in 1897, it had circulated over 200,000 chromolithographs. These prints entered a wide range of public and private spaces—schools, churches, village halls—reflecting the Society’s aim to make historic art accessible beyond elite collections.

Legacy

Examples of the “Vision and Swoon of St Catherine” continue to appear in community settings, testifying to the lasting impact of the Arundel Society’s educational mission and the durability of chromolithography as a vehicle for reproducing historic religious imagery.