Saint Cecilia playing the organ with two putti at left
Original title: Saint Cecilia playing the organ with two putti at left
kurzbeschreibung
Adriaen Lommelin engraved Saint Cecilia making music at the organ around 1654–77, with two putti holding a music sheet to her left. This black-and-white print derives from an invention by Peter Paul Rubens.
Description
Saint Cecilia sits at the organ, her hands poised over the keys. To the left, two naked putti jointly hold a large sheet of music and read from it. The layout feels balanced and calm, with the figures arranged symmetrically. Fine hatching models light and shade, creating even brightness. Cecilia's garment is richly detailed, as are the organ pipes behind her.
Context
The copperplate engraving is based on a design by Peter Paul Rubens, who treated Saint Cecilia as a subject several times. Lommelin, a Flemish engraver, likely produced this print in Antwerp, where he was connected to Rubens's workshop. A signature at the bottom edge attests to publication by Gillis Hendriex. The first of two states survives.
Impact
A solemn stillness emanates from the print, carried by the central figure of the saint and the symmetrically placed putti. The uniform hatching and clear linework produce a quiet, almost meditative effect that attunes the viewer to the musical devotion.
Technique
As a copperplate engraving, the drawing was incised into a metal plate and then printed. Lommelin used fine hatching to achieve tonal values and plasticity, as was customary for 17th-century printmaking. The present impression shows the first state, with precise lines and clean printing quality.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)