Pompeo Batoni, 1743: The Ecstasy of St. Catherine of Siena. She was a Dominican nun and theologian – author of 400 letters still in existence – who received her first mystical vision at age six. In time she reportedly levitated, much to the consternation of the other nuns present, who couldn’t understand that this showing wasn’t meant to glorify her, but to teach them – and us.
