According to legend, Saint Catherine of Alexandria dreamt she became Christ’s spiritual bride. Most depictions show the Infant Christ placing a ring on the saint’s finger, but here the figures’ interaction is limited to tender gestures and eye contact. Less literal interpretations of the subject began to appear in late 16th-century Italian painting, particularly among Venetian artists. Candid’s composition closely follows a painting by Christoph Schwarz, whom he met in Munich at the court of Duke William V. Both artists spent their early careers in Italy. This type of imagery resonated with the emphasis on personal, interior religious experience promoted by the Catholic Church during the Counter Reformation.

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