This work depicts St. Catherine of Alexandria, a possibly-mythical saint who lived in the third century AD and was tortured on a breaking wheel, hence the wheel's appearance in the bottom-right. Scholars have seen the influence of other Renaissance artists in this piece: the religious ecstasy on Catherine's face resembles the later works by Raphael's pupil, Pietro Perugino, and the influence of Leonardo da Vinci can be seen in the gentle contrapposto of Catherine's figure.