Saint Cecilia. Vita et matyrium S. et gloriosae...Rome, ca. 1590
ca. 1590, about 1591
Medium
Saint Cecilia. Vita et matyrium...: Etching; Oratio Fulvii Fulvii...: Woodcut
Dimensions
Overall: 7 5/8 x 5 13/16 x 3/8 in. (19.4 x 14.8 x 0.9 cm)
Classification
Books
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1972
Accession Number
1972.591.1
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite late 16th-century book, *Saint Cecilia: Vita et Martyrium*, was printed in Rome around 1590 by Vincentii Accolti and features illustrations by Bernardino Passeri. Combining delicate etchings with bold woodcuts, the volume recounts the life and martyrdom of Saint Cecilia, the early Christian patron saint of music. Its compact size—just under eight inches tall—made it suitable for private devotion or scholarly study, reflecting the era’s growing interest in printed hagiographies. Created during the Counter-Reformation, the work underscores the Catholic Church’s renewed emphasis o...
About the Artist
Extypographia Vincentii Accolti|Bernardino Passeri (Italian|Italian) · |1577 – |1585
|Italian, active Rome, ca. 1577–85