Saint Catherine of Alexandria

Saint Catherine of Alexandria’s vibrant green and red robes stand out against the plain dark background. She wears a fine crown as she was a princess, and holds a fresh green palm, the symbol of martyrs – those killed for their Christian faith. She rests its stem against a spiked wooden wheel, the instrument of her torture; according to legend, it miraculously broke into pieces and Catherine survived. The sword she holds is a reminder of her eventual execution by beheading. An angel accompanies the saint, playing a small stringed instrument, possibly a viol, which we can just make out.This is the left-hand shutter of a triptych altarpiece commissioned by the English merchant, Paul Withypool. The other shutter, which is also in the National Gallery’s collection, shows Saint Ursula. The central panel shows Withypool in prayer before the Virgin and Child.The reverse of the panel is inscribed in Latin with the words that the Archangel Gabriel spoke to the Virgin Mary at the Annunciation (Luke 1: 28): GRACIA PLENA / DOMINVS TECUM (‘Hail [Mary] full of Grace, the Lord be with you’). Two cherubs support a medallion that depicts Saint John the Baptist, who holds a reed cross and a scroll inscribed with words from the Gospel of John (John 1: 29 and 36): ECCE AGNVS DEI (‘Behold the Lamb of God’). He point to the lamb in his arms.Withypool was a member of the guild, now called the Company of Merchant Taylors, of which Saint John the Baptist was the patron saint. The coat of arms of the Withypool family are below.