The image depicts the "Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine of Alexandria in the Presence of Saint Sebastian," an oil painting on panel created in 1527 by Correggio, and housed in the Louvre Museum in Paris.
The conversion to Christianity of Saint Catherine, who was martyred in Alexandria, Egypt, in 305 AD, was a beloved iconographic subject in Renaissance art, especially in Italy. According to legend, Catherine received an icon of the Madonna and Child from a hermit, which inspired a vision: in the sky, amidst angels and saints, the Virgin appeared to her with the infant Jesus in her lap, who placed a ring on her finger to symbolize her marital union with Christ.
Of particular interest is the face of the Madonna, inspired by the gentle features of Gerolama Merlini, the painter's wife, who died two years after the completion of the painting at the age of only 26.
