St Cecilia

Guido Reni depicted St. Cecilia, the patron saint of music, with her eyes raised heavenward in divine rapture. She holds a viola da gamba or similar instrument, though her attention is fixed on celestial music only she can hear. Reni's idealized features and silvery palette create an image of spiritual transcendence.

Reni was the leading Bolognese painter of the early 17th century, famous for his devotional images of saints in ecstasy. St. Cecilia was a popular subject, and Reni's version emphasizes her mystical connection to heavenly harmony. Now at the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California.