Saint Catherine Reading
painting by Antonio da Correggio
Saint Catherine Reading is an oil painting by the Italian Renaissance master Antonio da Correggio, painted c. 1530–1532. It is part of the Royal Collection, and is currently on display at Hampton Court Palace, London.
Subject
The story of St. Catherine is related in the Golden Legend. She was the daughter of "a noble and prudent king" named Costus, "who reigned in Cyprus at the beginning of the third century," and "had to his wife a queen like to himself in virtuous governance." Though good people according to their light, they were pagans and worshippers of idols.
Even in her babyhood the child Catherine was "so fair of visage '' that all the people rejoiced at her beauty. At seven years of age she was sent to school, where "she drank plenteously of the well of wisdom." Her father was so delighted with her precocity that he had built a tower containing divers chambers where she might pursue her studies. Seven masters were engaged to teach her, the best and "wisest in conning" that could be found. So rapid was their pupil's progress that she soon outstripped them in knowledge, and from being her masters they became her disciples.
When the princess was fourteen, her father died, leaving her heir to his kingdom.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Saint Catherine Reading” is painting by Antonio da Correggio. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Saint, Catherine and Reading, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “painting by Antonio da Correggio” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 27, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3948946. The first chronological checks are 1530 and 1532.
Titles can refer to several editions, objects or performances, making precise identification essential before interpretation. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
- Identifying works and editions
- Tracing reception history
- Finding collection records
The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Saint Catherine Reading”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Saint Catherine Reading primary sources, Saint Catherine Reading archive and Saint research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Saint Catherine Reading”?
- How did later circulation or interpretation alter the work’s reception?
- Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Saint Catherine Reading” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.