estasi di santa cecilia

The central figure of Saint Cecilia holds a small portative organ whose pipes are falling out, symbolizing the transition from earthly to divine music. At her feet lies a heap of broken and discarded musical instruments, including a viola da gamba, flutes, and a tambourine. Above the earthly figures, a vision of angels appears in the clouds, singing from open books to represent celestial harmony.

The work reflects the Neoplatonic distinction between 'musica instrumentalis' (audible earthly music) and 'musica mundana' (the silent harmony of the spheres). It illustrates the soul's ascent from the material world to the divine through the rejection of sensory artifice in favor of spiritual revelation.