RUBENS, Peter Paul
(b. 1577, Siegen, d. 1640, Antwerpen)

St. Cecilia

1639-40
Oil on panel, 177 x 139 cm
Staaliche Museen, Berlin

In this composition, the only large-scale work on this subject by Rubens, he portrays the saint, who is revered as the patron of music, playing a spinet at the foot of a formal, architectural vista of pillars. Beyond the terrace-like room stretches an expanse of Flemish landscape, yet the presence of the angels emphasizes the sublime character of the scene. As her ringers touch the keys of her instrument, the saint is entranced by celestial music and in her face is reflected the heavenly paradise towards which she gazes, wide-eyed.

The Berlin Saint Cecilia is one of the last pictures which Rubens painted, apart from official commissions towards the end of his life. As in so many pictures during this later period, Helene Fourment, who had become his second wife in 1630, served as the artist's model. The bold and rapid application of colour is vivacious and rich in delicate nuances: deep emerald green appears side by side with dark red and brilliant yellow, emphasizing the pale, enamel-like flesh-tones. There are many corrections to the painted surface which show that Rubens altered considerable portions of the picture while working on it, and even enlarged the panel on the left-hand side.

The formal interpretation in the composition in no way detracts from the human, almost intimate, touches which Rubens has employed in depicting the saint. The casually worn cloak, the foot withdrawn from the shoe, the sleeping dog, and, last but not least, the features of Helene Fourment are all products of highly personal experience. The painter transforms the youthful body of his model into a monumental figure which combines, in a most moving way, portrait and sacred image.

This painting, which was found in Rubens' house following his death (1640), was presented the following year by his family to Jakob van Ophem in Brussels as a token of their gratitude for the help he had given in administering the artist's estate. Later it found its way to Paris, where the young Watteau saw it and made a crayon drawing of it.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 3 minutes):
Girolamo Frescobaldi: Ricercar No. 8