The Martyrdom of Saint Cecilia
Original title: The Martydom of Saint Cecilia standing naked in a large cauldron, at left under a colonnade, sits a Roman Prefect, at right the statue of Jupiter in a niche
kurzbeschreibung
Around 1520–25, Marcantonio Raimondi made this engraving, which presents the beheading of Saint Cecilia in a large cauldron. The naked saint stands at the center of a pot surrounded by flames, while figures around her heap flowers upon her. On the left, a Roman prefect watches the event under a colonnaded arcade; on the right, a statue of Jupiter rises in a niche.
Description
At the middle of the image, the stripped Saint Cecilia stands in a large cauldron enveloped in flames. A circle of people surrounds her, raining flowers and wreaths down upon her. Under an arcade with columns on the left, a man in Roman dress—likely the prefect—sits and follows the action. On the right, in a niche, appears the statue of Jupiter, while above the scene an angel hovers with a pitcher. Further figures and columns suggest the setting in the background.
Context
Raimondi was among the Italian engravers of the Renaissance and became known above all for his reproductive prints after designs by artists such as Raphael. This engraving was made around 1520–25 in Rome, during a period in which Raimondi published numerous biblical and mythological scenes. The martyrdom of Saint Cecilia follows Christian tradition, according to which she suffered a martyr's death, though legends vary in describing the exact manner of death. Architectural elements and the Jupiter statue point to the ancient Roman context of the persecution.
Impact
Precisely guided lines and detailed shading give the figures and the architecture a plastic presence. The contrast between flames and flowers, together with the saint's calm posture, lends the dramatic event an aesthetic tension. Through the symmetrical arrangement of the pictorial elements, the sheet acquires a solemn, almost monumental aura.
Technique
For this print, the motif was engraved into a copper plate and then printed on paper. Raimondi worked with fine parallel hatching and cross-hatching to bring out effects of light and shadow. This allowed a high degree of detail, and printing made the image widely available.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)