SARACENI, Carlo (b. 1579, Venezia, d. 1620, Venezia) Saint Cecilia and the Angel c. 1610 Oil on canvas, 172 x 139 cm Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica, Rome There is a long history of attributions of this painting to various artists. The attribution to Saraceni is accepted by the majority of art historians. However, the attribution to a non-Italian, Guy François, has been sustained by all the French critics, notwithstanding the absence of any confirmed Roman works by this artist. If the painting is compared with certified works of Saraceni and with those of Guy François (all execute
SARACENI, Carlo (b. 1579, Venezia, d. 1620, Venezia) Saint Cecilia and the Angel c. 1610 Oil on canvas, 172 x 139 cm Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica, Rome There is a long history of attributions of this painting to various artists. The attribution to Saraceni is accepted by the majority of art historians. However, the attribution to a non-Italian, Guy François, has been sustained by all the French critics, notwithstanding the absence of any confirmed Roman works by this artist. If the painting is compared with certified works of Saraceni and with those of Guy François (all executed after his return to Le Puy) it seems evident that neither of the two painters can be convincingly considered the author of this masterpiece. It is true nevertheless that one can identify in the execution of the painting some of the signature details shared by both artists, and some details peculiar to the style of one or the other. The most distinctive element of the picture, however, is the extraordinarily inventive composition, dominated by the enormous wings of the angel and by the diagonal of the bass viol. This instrument, along with the large lyre in the foreground, stretches across the entire surface of the canvas, as if to measure the space within. The courageous and original composition has no convincing analogues in the work of François, which is always rather more conventional. On the other hand, this composition seems to fit well alongside proven works by Saraceni, beginning with the Flight into Egypt at the Eremo dei Camaldoli (1606). The depiction of the subject is related to the vigorous revival of the cult of Saint Cecilia in the first few decades of the seventeenth century, following the 1599 discovery of the virgin martyr's incorrupt body during the course of excavations at the Roman church of Santa Cecilia. In this painting the patron saint of musicians and musical instrument makers is a beautiful young woman, who appears surrounded by instruments in
Size: 3220px × 4084px
Photo credit: © Carlo Bollo / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: artwork, paint, painter, painting, paintings
