Raffaello Sanzio, Santa Cecilia in estasi con i santi (1518 circa) 01

Saint Cecilia, the patroness of music, experiences a divine vision, letting her portable organ slip from her hands as she hears the celestial song of angels above. Around her, four saints stand in contemplative poses, while the foreground is littered with discarded and broken instruments, representing the transition from earthly to divine harmony. The figures are captured in a moment of quiet, interiorized devotion as they witness the saint's spiritual ascent.

This painting is a visual manifestation of Renaissance Neoplatonism, specifically the hierarchy of music where 'musica instrumentalis' (audible, earthly music) is abandoned for 'musica mundana' (celestial harmony). It aligns with Marsilio Ficino's theories on 'divine frenzy,' where the soul is elevated through music to reach a state of contemplative union with the divine.