SOUTHERN GERMAN SCHOOL 1st half of the 16th century Title: The Martyrdom of Saint Catherine of Alexandria. Technique: Oil on wood. Measurement: 84,5 x 64cm. Frame/Pedestal: Framed. Provenance: Private ownership, Germany. In the fourth century AD, Emperor Masentius or Maximinus had Catherine sentenced to death by cogwheel torture because she refused to take part in pagan rituals involving animal sacrifices. However, the instrument of torture broke and the emperor was forced to have the saint beheaded, with milk flowing from her neck instead of blood, a symbol of her purity. The present work is based on famous prints or paintings from south-eastern Germany, such as the central panel of the Altar of St Catherine by Lucas Cranach the Elder from 1506 or the version by Albrecht Altdorfer from around 1505/10. Estimated shipping costs for this lot: Germany: 67,23 Euro plus 12,77 Euro VAT EU: 100,84 Euro plus 19,16 Euro VAT Worldwide: 151,26 Euro plus 28,74 Euro VAT additional shipping insurance