A Flemish or Dutch drawing of a female saint in a Poor Clare habit and with a crown of thorns (probably Catherine of Siena) kneeling before a crucifix, arms crossed over her chest, as she resists the temptation of riches, power, and pleasure. Riches are represented by three well-dressed men on the left offering her treasure, including an open chest filled with coins and valuables. Power is represented by a crown suspended in the cloud above, while pleasure represented on the right by two female musicians, one playing a flute and another a lute, while a third woman offers a bouquet of flowers. Above and behind the figures on the left is the ruin of a building. In the clouds on the right above the musicians, the triumph of faith over temptation is represented as the grim reaper with a scythe cutting down three kings whose crowns topple from their heads
Alternative Title:
Female saint worshipping a crucifix
Description:
Title devised by cataloger., Date of the drawing is questionable. Possibly a much later drawing, 17th-century?, On verso, in unknown (possibly W.S. Lewis's) hand: "A Flemish drawing of a female saint worshipping a crucifix.", On verso: "Probably not Horace Walpole's. W.S. Lewis 7 Feb. '73.", On verso: "'Late 15th or early 16th century. Probably Dutch. Anne-Marie Logan, BAC, Sept. 30, 1996.", Lower right corner of image, ownership stamp initial 'D' encircled., Numbered on mount in upper right corner in ink '83' and in a different hand in pencil '63'., Formerly shelved as part of the SH Drawings collection., and For further information, consult library staff.
Subject (Name):
Catherine, of Siena, Saint, 1347-1380
Subject (Topic):
In art, Grim Reaper (Symbolic character), Crucifixes, Musicians, Prayer, Saints, Temptation, and Wealth
