Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 March 2019
Painted in 1508, Raphael's “Saint Catherine of Alexandria” is animated by innovative pictorial techniques using light, shadow, and color. Yet scholars have scarcely discussed its dazzling palette or sought to explain the image's meaning. I argue that Raphael's “Saint Catherine” exemplifies the artist's thematic interpretation of divine revelation in optical terms. Aristotelian theories of vision illuminate new dimensions of Raphael's engagement with scientific and theological sight. From this examination, new criteria for identifying the painting's patron emerge. By reframing the “Saint Catherine” within the rubric of contemporary optics, color's role as an allegory for Raphael's subject comes increasingly to light.
Research was funded by Hamilton College and The College of Wooster. I extend my gratitude to R. Benjamin Gorham, Margaret Bell, Emily Fenichel, Paul Gwynne, and Sara Nair James for their suggestions and comments. I am especially grateful to Paul Barolsky for his wisdom, insight, and good humor. Above all, thanks are due to David Summers, in whose seminar on light this paper was first born, and who offered continued inspiration, encouragement, and feedback. Unless otherwise noted, translations are my own.