Self-Portrait as Saint Catherine of Alexandria is an exquisite painting by a female Italian Artist Artemisia Gentileschi. This painting was made around 1615–1617. In this painting it is observed that Artemisia paints herself as Saint Catherine of Alexandria who was a scholar and Christian martyr who is a well known legend that defied a Roman emperor and was put to death on a spiked wheel. Her right hand is pressed close to her chest while holding the martyr's palm this can be seen as an act of her devotion and also while her left hand rests on a broken wheel with iron spikes which is believed to be the very instrument used in Catherine's torture and is usually how she is recognised in art. In the painting she also wears a crown on her head which leads to certain interpretations of some people saying that this gives her an almost Christ like quality. The broken wheel and the palm make the religious meaning very clear. However, what makes this painting so powerful is how Artemisia blends her own identity with that of the saint. This painting can also be seen as a way for Artemisia to present herself professionally. Her self-portraits were not just personal expressions but they were also a way to show potential patrons that she was virtuous, learned, and deserving of respect especially at a time when female artists were often doubted. This painting was painted during her years in Florence and belongs to a group of paintings she made depicting female martyrs and heroines.
An interesting detail found through conservation studies is that the canvas used had a seam near the bottom which is well believed that Artemisia sewed this herself as she was going through financial struggles at the time and likely reused her own canvases. This painting is now kept at the National Gallery in London.
Artemisia Gentileschi portrays herself as Saint Catherine of Alexandria in this self-portrait, fusing her personal identity with that of a well-known Christian martyr to convey resilience, faith, and intellectual prowess. Artemisia affirms her own dignity and artistic authority while aligning herself with Catherine's bravery in the face of pain by taking on the saint's qualities of the broken wheel, martyr's palm, and crown. As a personal and professional proclamation of her virtue, talent, and deservingness of support, the piece also illustrates the difficulties experienced by seventeenth-century women artists. In the end, the artwork turns religious iconography into a potent statement of feminine identity, tenacity, and self-representation.
