Caecilia representation

This copper engraving shows Saint Cäcilia, who is considered a patron of spiritual music. Cäcilia is to be married to the Roman Valerianus, consecrates her life to God, and also converts her husband to the Christian faith and a chaste life. The saint is often depicted in the company of an angel. Their attributes include musical instruments, especially the organ. In the background, a deferred notebook is shown with a four-part vocals, “Fiat cor meum” by D. Raymundi, whose contents are related to the Cäcilien legend. The integration of such music, which is specially composed for the use of images, is a popular topic in the Netherlands in the late 16th century. Styles of this kind are referred to as “motets” and “picture motets”. The saint is shown here as a whole figure. She is wrapped in robes, wears a crown with roses and has his hands crossed in front of her chest for prayer. Their gaze is turned into itself, or goes up to the right. The template for the engraving of copper comes from the Belgian painter Maarten de Vos (1532-1603). The leaf was stamped and laid by the copper engraver, goldsmith and publisher Johann Sadeler (1588-1665), who worked in Munich. In the Herzog August library in Wolfenbüttel there is also a specimen of the present sheet, which has a caption or a Latin text. Signature: Ioan. Sadler sculp. et excud. M. de Vos figuranit. (delHändel-Haus Halle Foundation)