Gerard Seghers

Flemish, 1591 - 1651

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The image shows four individuals, with their upper bodies and faces clearly visible. The central figure is seated upright, looking slightly upward with wide eyes. She has curly hair, mostly covered by a large, ornate turban or head wrap. Her attire is elaborate, with a patterned dress featuring a low neckline and a decorative, circular brooch at the chest. To her left, a figure with feathered wings plays a wind instrument while glancing towards her. This figure also has short, curly hair and wears draped fabric. On her right, another winged figure leans in closely with curly hair and holds a lute or similar stringed instrument. A fourth person peers over the central figure's shoulder, looking towards the music book held open on the table. The background is a draped curtain, with the entire scene lit in a chiaroscuro effect, casting deep shadows and highlighting the figures and the objects around them, such as a candle, a violin, and the open book.
Nicolaes Lauwers, Saint Cecilia Accompanied by Heavenly Musicians, engraving, Gift of Dr. Ruth B. Benedict, 1983.104.3

Saint Cecilia Accompanied by Heavenly Musicians

Nicolaes Lauwers · · engraving ·  Accession ID  1983.104.3

Bibliography

1883

  • Branden, Franz Joseph van den. Geschiedenis der Antwerpsche Schilderschool. Antwerp, 1883: 879-885.

1925

  • Sandrart, Joachim von. Joachim von Sandrarts Academie der Bau-, Bild, -und Mahlerey-Künste von 1675. Leben der berühmten Maler, Bildhauer und Baumeister. Edited by Alfred R. Peltzer. Abridged ed. Munich, 1925: 312.

1992

  • Bieneck, Dorothea. Gerard Seghers (1591-1651). Leben und Werk des Antwerpener Historienmalers. Lingen, 1992.

2005

  • Wheelock, Arthur K., Jr. Flemish Paintings of the Seventeenth Century. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, D.C., 2005: 223.