Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna-Estasi di Santa Cecilia di Raffaello-Particolare

Saint Cecilia stands with her head tilted upward and eyes fixed on a celestial vision, while her hands loosely hold a portable organ. To her left, a youthful Saint John the Evangelist gazes toward her, and to her right, Saint Augustine holds a tall, ornate bishop's crosier. A soft landscape with distant buildings sits under a clear blue sky, framing the figures who are distinguished by thin, golden halos.

This work is a primary visual representation of Renaissance Neoplatonic theories regarding the 'furor divinus' (divine madness) and the soul's ascent through music, as articulated by Marsilio Ficino. It illustrates the transition from earthly, man-made music (represented by the organ Cecilia drops) to the 'musica mundana' or the harmony of the celestial spheres.