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Copyright (C) 1997-2009 by Irina Popov irina65@adelphia.net
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Irina Popov.
  A piece of history.  Girl's room.  A King for Kings. |  |
At even tide When I seek haven from my daily care You'll find me by her side, It seems so peaceful there. I kneel in my solitude And silently pray, That heav'n will protect you dear, And there'll come a day, The storm will be over, And that we'll meet again, AT THE SHRINE OF SAINT CECILIA. (Carroll Loveday) When I was looking for a title for this page I finally decided that nothing would be more appropriate than the words from the song written in 1940s. Saint Cecilia - a "popular" Saint of Catholic church and for many centuries holy patroness of musicians ( especially those musicians who work for a church). She is listening to the prayers of soloists and whole choirs, she allow to write poems and songs in her name and she seems don't mind to be depicted on many, many pictures, paintings, frescoes in many countries, in different times, in different costumes, playing on various musical instruments. Traditionally "personal" instrument of Saint Cecilia is a pipe organ - from simple portative "organetto" ( a term I'd like to see widely adopted for medieval table - or portative organs) to more "respectable" and complicated church instruments. Here is a collection of images which I hope you'll enjoy and some links to pages on Internet which have same subject - Saint Cecilia. | |
Wedding of St. Cecilia.The Beaupre Antiphonary. Vol.II.
Flanders. 1290. Image source:
Music in Manuscripts. One of few images where Saint
Cecilia (as a bride) is not playing but listening to music of others: three
instrumentalists are entertaining wedding gests playing a bowed fiddle, a
psaltery and a portative organ. Whole scene of a wedding feast is
beautifuly enclosed in a capital "C" - for "cantare" and illuminates page
of medieval music score which was written for the Cistercian convent of
Beaupre. 
Statue of St. Cecilia. Verona,Italy, early 14 cent.
Mystical Marriage of Saint Catherine of Alexandria Hans
Memling.1470.Oil on wood.25x15 cm. Musee du Louvre.Paris.
Saint Martyrs surround Virgin Mary and Child in a garden. Saint Cecilia
depicted playing on portative organ accompanied by musician angels.
Interesting detail - the Saints are busy - they are not just
holding they traditional symbols
but act: reading books,
peting animals, playing music - it makes
whole scene look like a lovely family gathering or a girlfriends party.
Comparing to empty - handed, let's say "aristocratic", images of Saints
and Angels from previous centuries Saints of 15 C. appear to be more
workers - in epoch of flourishing commerce and trade
influence of estate of merchants and craftsmen become stronger and it
shows even in church paintings - images seems to be closer to reality. But
even getting "busier" they don't choose activities other
than common ones for the ladies of a higher circle. 
Saint Cecilia, Saint Agnes and Saint
Bartholomew. MASTER of Saint Bartholomew
Altar.1485-1510.Wood.129x161 cm. Alte Pinakothek. Munich.
The name of the Master is not known... He got his name after his
creation - the St. Bartholomew triptych. On a right side of central panel of
the triptych Saint Cecilia - she is pumping and playing portative pipe
organ. A little Angel is helping her to manipulate the instrument. In
traditionally early mediaeval - symmetrical, very balanced composition of
the painting we can see four persons with absolutely "portrait" features.
Detailed clothes, complicated pattern of fabrics makes for a moment
forget that these are images of Saints. Saint Cecilia and Saint Agnes look
like two young ladies from a good neighborhood - only...were are they
living? Were are living all the Saints? The landscape on a third plane is
earthly and almost recognizable, but a golden drape of Divine Mystery on
a second one separates a group of four from material world - mortal
flesh and Saints of immortal Spirit are praying together "in between" - in
no time, no place demention.
St.John the Baptist and St.Cecilia. Left Wing of Crucifixion Altarpiece. Ca.1500. Cologne.
St. Cecilia in National Gallery of Australia.
Detail of a triptych. Cologne School,
Germany. Virgin and Child with Saints c.1510-20
oil on three oak panels.
Saint
Cecilia, Saint Marguerite and Donator. Gaudenzio
Ferrary. Oil on wood. 121x52 and 120x49 cm.
Pushkin Museum.
Moscow.
Saint Cecilia. Raffaello Santy.1514. Oil transferred from panel to canvas. 220x136 cm. Pinacotheka Nazionale. Bologna.
Wooden statue of St. Cecilia.
1550s.Brabant.
Statue of St. Cecilia. Salisbury Cathedral,Wiltshire
St. Cecilia and angels. C. Sellito.(Naples 1581 - 1614)
Anonymous : Sainte C�cile, 1591-1610
Eglise Saint-Fecillen de Fosses-la-Villen.Saint Cecilia and an Angel. Orazio Gentileschi. C. 1610. 0.878x1.081 m.
National Gallery of Art. Washington. Samuel H. Kress Collection. A
saint may be seen in various personifications. In this picture Saint
Cecilia is seen as a student, showing that divine inspiration also
involves a long hidden process of training.
The Martyrs Valerian, Tiburtius and Cecily. Orazio Gentileschi.
(Pisa 1563 - London 1639). Oil
on canvas, 350x218. Formerly in the church di Santa Cecilia at Como Image source Brera.
St.Cecilia writing music manuscript, pipe organ on a background. STROZZI, Bernardo.
1620-25. Les images des Saints - Novembre. Jacques Callot. 1632. Etching in four quarters. 8 1/2"x4 3/4". On thin laid paper. Image source:
ART - at - home prints. Showing in separate medallions: Edmund the Martyr, The Presentation of the Virgin, Saint Columbian and Saint Cecilia.
Anonymous : Sainte C�cile.
D�tail du Grand Orgue de la Cath�drale d'Auch.Studies of Saint Cecilia. MOLA, Pier Franchesco. Late 1640's. Image source Agnew's Gallery. St.Cecilia and angels. RICCHI, Pietro. Ca.1660.Augustins museum.(Mus�e des Beaux-arts de la ville de Toulouse) Saint Cecilia. Carlo Dolci? Ct.1616 - 1686. Dresden Gemaeldegallery. Postcard reproduction.*
GUERCHIN : Sainte-C�cile, vers 1642
Paris, Mus�e de la Musique. St. Cecilia by Carlo Dolci.
From the postcard collection of Robert Cardo.** St. Cecelia playing the organ with attending females playing instruments and singingLouis Surugue, French, 1696 - 1762 engraving, 1715, 251 x 201 mm.
After Francois Boitard. Bigger detail. An organ as a part of an instrumental ensemble.Anonymous : Sainte C�cile, circa 1770.
Museum des Stiftes Innichen, Museo della Collegiata di San Candido. Sainte C�cile.
Chandellier, Charles.Ca 1830. Richelieu Musique fonds estampes. "Saint Cecilia" by Paul Delaroche, Emile and Charles Beranger.1836. Sainte C�cile.
Marseille : Chiesa, ca 1860.
Richelieu Musique fonds estampes.
Colombel Nicolas : Sainte-C�cile.19 cent.
Rouen, Mus�e des Beaux-Arts. Sainte Cecile.
Paris : Augustoni fr�res, ca 1850. Richelieu Musique fonds estampes. Saint Cecilia. By Dante Gabriel Rosetti. 1857. Illustration for the Edward Moxon's edition of Tennyson's poems. p.113. 93X80 mm. Saint Cecilia and other Saints. Edward Burne - Jones. 1879. Mosaic. Rome.
"St. Paul Within - the - Walls" This is an image of a saint from a Protestant church, one of a
few that have non-Catholic origins. It is a marvelous mosaic from
"St. Paul Within-the- Walls," the first Protestant church in Rome,
built in 1879. The name of the church proclaimed the freedom given to
Protestant worship inside the walls of the ancient city. The model for
the image of Saint Cecilia was Mary Dahlgren Astor, wife of the
financier William Waldorf Astor; for Saint Barbara (with the tower ) -
Georgiana, wife of the artist; for Saint Catherine (with a wheel) - the
wife of Henry Codman Potter, Bishop of New York; for Saint Dorothy (with
the roses) - the daughter of William Morris; for Saint Agnes (with the
lamb) - Gwendolin Story. More information about
mosaics and paintings
in St. Paul Within - the - Walls. . St. Cecilia window
OXFORD : Christ Church. From the postcard collection of Robert Cardo.** St. Cecilia's window.The Cathedral of the Holy Cross. Boston.
This window was created around 1880, probably manufactured by a German studio. It was a gift in memory of Rev. A. Sherwood Healy, Rector of the Cathedral 1870 to 1874. The window is located in the south nave. Information and image source
The Cathedral of the Holy Cross. Another image which shows an organist as a leader of an musical ensemble.
St. Cecilia's Music Society's Tiffany
window. Originally installed in October, 1895 and restored 100
years later, this is one of Grand Rapid's finest.
Image source. St. Cecilia John Melhuish Strudwick ( 1849 - 1935 ) Oil on canvas. 1895 - 1896. Walker Art Gallery. Liverpool. Saint Cecilia.Edward Burne - Jones. C.1897 Stained glass window. Image source: William Morris Gallery. Saint Cecilia. J. W. Waterhouse. 1895. This painting was exhibited at
the Royal Academy in 1895, with the quotation from Tennyson's "The
Palace of Art":
"In a clear walled city
on the sea
Near gilded organ pipes -
slept St.Cecily."
It took two years for the artist to complete the painting for which
critical acclaim was given for the superb color, the mature work of that
of an artist who has reached his goal. A review in �The Art Journal�
spoke of the "entirely medieval feeling...the effect is decorative
first, then somewhat ecclesiastic...removed from realism and the world
of our daily life." If we try to look at this painting from a
"medieval" point of view, we may see it as a system of coded information
expressed in symbols which would be familiar to the prepared spectator:
absolutely readable, every color having special importance, every object
having multiple meaning. Saint Cecilia. Engraving. 1883.From: World noted women. Image source:
University of Texas. Austin.
St. Cecilia prayer card. 19 cent. Statue of St. Cecilia as part of
Altar of St. Cecilia Chapel. Ca.1897. Mar del Plata. Ar. S� (cathedral)"Sa Cecilia".
Portugal : BRAGA From the postcard collection of Robert Cardo.** Santa Cecilia che suona l'Organo (Conca Sebastiano)
Roma. Accademia di Belle Arti detta di S. Luca From the postcard collection of Robert Cardo.**
Saint Cecilia. Print by Wenzell A.B. 1908.From: Thirty paintings by leading American artists." From �Thirty paintings by
leading American artists." Another depiction of a working saint: Saint
Cecilia as a teacher. Note the
expression on the faces of a boy and of
the saint. Chromo publicitaire: "Chocolat de la Havane". From the postcard collection of Robert Cardo.** Saint Cecilia. Joseph Untersberger. 1835-1912. Austria. Postcard reproduction.* Saint Cecilia. Julius Paulsen. Postcard reproduction.* Saint Cecilia. Postcard reproduction.* We are having a problem to identify this image. If someone has some information on it - share it,please! Saint Cecilia stained glass window from St. Cecilia church. . Boston, Ma. Thank you to the organist of that church, Richard Clark, who provided:) the picture. Bigger detail of the window.
A prayer card from France Early 20cent. A photo card from France*Early 20 cent E. SONREL. "Concert Mystique"
1921. From the postcard collection of Robert Cardo.** Max Ernst. 1923.Oil on canvas. Stuttgart.
Scan by
Mark Harden.Oil on canvas.
Stuttgart. Scan by Mark Harden. Saint Cecilia is not playing pipe
organ here. Even her shoes seem unsuited for organ playing. But since
the instrument is invisible, we are free to imagine it is an organ,
especially if we listen to scholars who suggest that this image was
partially adapted from Dolci's Saint Cecilia. St. Cecilia postcard
1925. Berlin. From the postcard collection of Robert Cardo.** Saint Cecilia. Relief from
Saint Cecilia church. San - Francisco. Saint Cecilia and Angels. John J. Kinsella Stained glass window.From
Mount Carmel church. IL Frid. Kunz : S. Caecilia.
1925. Bavaria. From the postcard collection of Robert Cardo.** Statue of St.Cecilia. at St.Cecilia church, Columbus, Ohio. Paul VI and Saint Cecilia. Commemorative Medallion. Italy.
Links to other sites on the Web about St. Cecilia
Copyright(C)1997-2006 by Irina Popov irina65@adelphia.net
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Irina Popov.
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