Girolamo Citolanzo
The Martyrdom of St. Catherine of Alexandria
Oil on canvas
Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome
It was not uncommon for 15th- and 16th-century works to include the "Throne of Mercy" image of the Trinity in images of other subjects. In this case, positioning the crucified Christ directly above the kneeling saint makes a statement about the Christian martyr's participation in the sacrificial work of salvation.
The man on the throne extending his hand to order the saint's beheading is the Emperor Maxentius. The man on his proper left wears the armor of a Roman soldier. His sword is sheathed and his hand gesture seems to be the opposite of Maxentius's, so he may be Porphyry, a recent convert of Catherine's who took her body after the execution and buried it.
The artist's name was provided by a label at the site. I have been unable to find any other information on any artist of that name.
Read more about images of St. Catherine of Alexandria.
Read more about images of the Trinity.
Photographed at the basilica by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.