Artwork
St Cecilia
St Cecilia is an oil painting by the High Renaissance artist Raphael. It dates from 1514 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Technique & Style
Executed in 1514, this work is an oil painting on canvas attributed to Raphael. The piece measures 110 cm in height and 70.5 cm in width. Stylistically, it belongs to the High Renaissance movement and depicts the religious subject of Saint Cecilia.
The composition is based on Raphael's earlier altarpiece, The Ecstasy of Saint Cecilia, serving as a replica of that original masterpiece.
History & Provenance
No accession number is provided in the available sources, and no exhibition history beyond its current location at the Statens Museum for Kunst is documented.
Created in 1514, this oil painting on canvas portrays Saint Cecilia and was originally conceived as a replica of Raphael's earlier composition, The Ecstasy of Saint Cecilia. It entered the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it remains on display. The work measures 110 cm in height and 70.5 cm in width.
The painting is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it is recorded as part of the museum's holdings. According to the available records, the work is catalogued within that institution's collection of religious paintings.
No accession number is provided in the available sources, and no exhibition history beyond its current location at the Statens Museum for Kunst is documented.
Context
Created in 1514, the painting known as St Cecilia is a replica by Raphael executed in oil on canvas. As a work of the High Renaissance, it depicts Saint Cecilia as its main subject within the religious art genre. The piece is currently held by the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it serves as a variant based on Raphael's earlier composition, The Ecstasy of Saint Cecilia.
With dimensions of 110 cm in height and 70.5 cm in width, this replica represents the artist's continued engagement with the saint's iconography during the early sixteenth century.
Overview
Created in 1514, this oil painting by Raphael portrays Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music. Executed during the height of the High Renaissance, the work exemplifies the period’s balanced composition and tranquil atmosphere. Currently, the canvas is part of the collection at the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen, where it is displayed among other works of the era.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure, a woman in a flowing robe, bears a luminous halo that identifies her as a saint. She holds a musical instrument, referencing Cecilia’s legendary devotion to music and her martyrdom for faith. The surrounding figures, also robed, create a quiet, devotional gathering that underscores themes of piety, harmony, and the spiritual power of song.
Artist & collection
Artist
Raphael was born Raffaello Sanzio in Urbino on April 6, 1483, the son of Giovanni Santi, a painter and poet attached to the ducal court.
