Saint Cecilia (Stefano Maderno)

Saint Cecilia is a marble sculpture by the Italian sculptor Stefano Maderno, completed c. 1600 for Santa Cecilia in Trastevere in Rome, Italy.

The work depicts Saint Cecilia lying on her side with her head turned, recalling contemporary descriptions of her body when her tomb was opened in 1599. Maderno’s inscription states that he represented the posture in which she was reportedly found, though the accuracy of this claim is uncertain. Scholars highlight the sculpture’s naturalism and simplicity, which established Maderno’s early reputation and the work's place in the development of Baroque sculpture. The piece influenced later depictions of Saint Cecilia and served as a model for her iconography in the early modern period.