Saint Cecilia Playing the Viol

Saint Cecilia Playing the Viol at the Royal College of Music depicts the patron saint of musicians, one of Domenichino's most celebrated subjects. His earlier Saint Cecilia paintings had established the image type, and this version or copy (dated to about 1680, well after Domenichino's death in 1641) attests to the enduring popularity of his conception of the musical saint. Characteristic of Domenichino's approach, the work displays dignified, clear compositions, restrained emotion, classical landscape integration.

The saint's upward gaze of divine inspiration while playing the viol follows Domenichino's established iconographic formula, with the refined handling and idealized beauty characteristic of his depictions of female saints.