Tuscan master; last third of the 17th century.

Tuscan master; last third of the seventeenth century.
"Saint Cecilia".
Oil on canvas.
Preserves original canvas.
Presents illegible inscription in the lower left corner, possibly signature.
Measurements: 71.5 x 56 cm; 90 x 74.5 cm (frame).
This work is based on a painting by Onorio Marini, made between 1684 and 1687, which is currently preserved in the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen. The piece stars Saint Cecilia, recognizable by the presence of the organ and the crown of roses. It is interesting to note how, thanks to the composition, the artist introduces a certain ambiguity between the portrait and religious genres. To achieve this, he focuses his attention on the bust of the saint, which is presented facing the viewer, although slightly turned, following the typical style of the portraits of the time.
The artist dispenses with the usual elements in the representations of Saint Cecilia, such as the little angels that usually accompany her while she plays the organ. In this work, the young woman with blonde hair acquires a monumental character, almost completely dominating the scene against a neutral background of copper tones. These tones enhance the volume of the figure, giving it an outstanding presence.
The quality of the fabrics deserves a special mention: the delicate details, such as the embroidered gold threads and the folds of the undershirt, underline the importance of the female figure. In doing so, the artist explicitly directs the viewer's attention to the portrait of the lady, achieving a Baroque representation that exalts sanctity in an everyday and pedagogical way.
Saint Cecilia, the most popular of the Roman martyrs together with Saint Agnes. A young patrician of the Caecilian family, she was forced by her parents to marry, although in the nuptial room she converted her husband to the ideal of Christian chastity. The young husband had himself and his brother baptized, and both were condemned to death. Because Cecilia refused to offer sacrifices to the gods, she was condemned to die by drowning in the steam of an overheated cauldron, but a heavenly dew refreshed her. She was then ordered to be beheaded, but her executioner struck her three blows without succeeding in separating her head from her body. Since Roman law forbade further beating of the condemned after these three attempts, Cecilia survived for three days. She died in the presence of Pope Urban and was buried in the cemetery of Callixtus. Saint Cecilia is, since the 15th century, the patron saint of musicians, singers and organists, as well as of organ and string instrument makers. Originally St. Cecilia, like most of the martyrs, did not wear any identifying attribute. It was at the end of the 15th century, when she became the patron saint of musicians, that she received a musical instrument as an attribute, a portable or fixed organ.