Inside a decorated initial letter “C” with leaf motifs, Saint Cecilia is depicted in a moment of intense prayer. The Saint, with her halo, is kneeling with her joined hands raised upward. Behind her stand three men, one of whom holds what appears to be a small portable organ, the instrument that would become the Saint’s most well-known symbol. The decoration extends from the letter to the margins of the page, where a curious figure appears: a naked man bearing a sword and shield, creating a contrast between the solemnity of the sacred scene and the more fantastical character of the manuscript’s borders.
A Miniature of Saint Cecilia in Prayer
Public domain image
Date:
second half of the 14th century
Location:
Israel, Jerusalem, Studium Biblicum Franciscanum Museum, Manuscript 7 (H), fol. 233r
Author:
Not documented
Technique and materials:
Illuminated manuscript
Dimensions:
Not documented
Provenance:
Venice, Italy
Sources:
