Heilige Cecilia in extase 1617

Curator: Welcome. Before us, we have "Heilige Cecilia in extase," or "Saint Cecilia in Ecstasy," an engraving from 1617 by Philippe Thomassin, currently held at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: The first thing that strikes me is its air of theatrical piety! Cecilia’s rapt expression and the halo seem almost performative. A veritable tableau of celestial awe. Curator: Precisely. The iconography is richly layered. Cecilia, patron saint of music, is surrounded by other figures including what look to be other saints and instruments cast aside at her feet, suggesting a transcendence of earthly music in favor of the divine. Editor: Oh, the discarded instruments! Like relics of a lesser passion abandoned for the ultimate love song. And the angels above seem ready to drop the beat any second, hymning her ecstatic state. Curator: The upward gaze is also key, as is the positioning of Saint Cecilia slightly off-center from all those angelic voices and holy witnesses above. She holds pan pipes. Think what the symbolic power might be, a humble set of pipes with so much more to give and connect us to the ethereal and sublime through heavenly harmonies. Editor: There is so much emphasis, I feel, on what isn't visible, but sensed—the "ecstasy," that divine rapture... which Thomassin conveys with dramatic effect. Curator: And if we consider that as an engraving, as opposed to a painting, Thomassin makes masterful use of line to create texture and tone... he draws us into an intricate dance between shadow and light that truly brings Saint Cecilia’s spiritual transport to life. Editor: Definitely an excellent study in how visual cues can embody states of consciousness that we cannot easily name. Curator: Yes, an evocative demonstration of music, faith, and transcendence beautifully rendered with those strong Baroque sensibilities. Editor: Well, I may never listen to panpipes the same way again.