DÜRER Albrecht (Nüremberg 1471 1528) - "The Martyrdom of Saint Catherine of Alexandria". c.1498. Woodcut. Signed with the artist's monogram in the plate. Ref: Bartsch, no. 120, Strauss, no. 236. Hollstein, Meder n°236. Very nice proof with good margins, on strong laid paper (without watermark). Printed in the 18th century. Saint Catherine of Alexandria was one of the most venerated saints of Dürer's time. Condemned to torture and death by the Emperor Maxentius, she is saved by a rain of fire which destroys the wheel on which she was to be bound. Although spared by her fate, she is finally beheaded. In this composition, Dürer merges the two scenes of her martyrdom, the destruction of the wheel by divine intervention and her death. The scene of chaos and destruction caused by the fiery rain, very reminiscent of the catastrophic events of the Apocalypse, is juxtaposed with the serene figure of the Saint kneeling before her executioner, calmly awaiting her death. 49 x 33 cm. Condition A (edge of the right margin slightly insolated).