Oak Saints sculpture of Catherine of Alexandria the the broken wheel at her side and standing on Emperor Maxentius The height of the sculpture is 16 cm Date: 17th century Origin: Germany or Belgium (Flanders)Finely carved and nicely detailed Beautiful dark patina One hand has been lost over timePlease see the photos, these are part of the descriptionAccording to the oldest tradition Catharina came from an illustrious Patricians lineage and was the daughter of Costus, the Governor of Alexandria She was devoted to Jesus with heart and soul and promised him her virginity Barely she had done that when the emperor Maxentius fell in love with her When she refused to become, after his wife, the second lady at the court, he wanted to force her to renounce her belief by threatening her with horrifying torture The emperor wanted to crush her with a wheel on which sharp were mounted However instead of Catherine the wheel broke, hit by lightning He wanted to let her burn, but the fire spread by the wind and burnt the executioners