Holy Family with the Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherinec. 1560 · Study 2019.168

Context from the museum

The marriage shown in this painting is called “mystic” because it was a purely symbolic. The infant Jesus places a ring on the finger of Catherine of Alexandria, a fourth-century saint who had a vision of dedicating herself to God and remaining a virgin instead of marrying. Note the otherworldly quality of the women and children’s elegant faces, compared to the naturalism of elderly Saint Joseph, who may be a likeness of someone the artist knew.

Museum description reproduced from its CC0 open-access record. Read the original catalog entry.

A detail to notice

Saint Catherine is usually shown with a spiked wheel; here, it is barely visible below her hand.

Observation supplied by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected image measurement for Holy Family with the Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine is 103 cm wide and 148 cm high, equivalent to approximately 40.6 × 58.3 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 0.70:1. The rectangular bounding area is 1.52 square meters; it describes the measured footprint, not the amount of paint or the monetary value.

On an illustrative 300 cm wall, the recorded width occupies 34.3% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 98.5 cm on each side before adding a frame. These are calculations by Physical Art For Crypto using museum measurements. They are not the museum’s display recommendations.

Questions to bring to your own collection

With Holy Family with the Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, oil on panel, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this vertical composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 103 cm width still suit the space after allowing for furniture and a frame?
• What surface detail would you need to see in person or in a close photograph?