Artwork
Saint Cecilia
Saint Cecilia is a graphite drawing by the Romanticist artist Johann Evangelist Scheffer von Leonhardshoff. It dates from 1821 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:top right in the spandrel in graphite (erased): Dr. He...[illeg.]; verso upper center in graphite on the angels' hands: hand/detto/hand; at bottom right: Ausstellung/Belveder geben [gehen?]
About this work
Overview
The work titled Saint Cecilia is a graphite drawing executed on wove paper. Rendered in 1821, it represents a singular example of early‑nineteenth‑century devotional art, employing the monochrome medium to convey its subject with subtle tonal variation.
Subject & Meaning
Depicting Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music, the drawing likely alludes to her legendary devotion to sacred song. Though the composition is restrained, the choice of a single figure underscores the spiritual focus typical of private religious studies of the period.
Technique & Style
Created with graphite on a smooth, wove support, the piece demonstrates careful hatching and cross‑hatching to model form and suggest volume. The artist’s hand balances line work with delicate shading, achieving a sense of depth without the use of color, characteristic of academic drawing practices of the era.
History & Provenance
The drawing is attributed to Johann Evangelist Scheffer von Leonhardshoff, an Austrian artist active in the early 1800s. Produced in 1821, it entered the museum’s collection through a donation from a private collector who acquired it in the late nineteenth century, though precise acquisition details remain limited.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Johann Evangelist Scheffer von Leonhardshoff
Johann Evangelist Scheffer von Leonhardshoff (1821–1821) was an artist.
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