Scripture · Song of Solomon 2:2
Psalm 150:3
Saint Cecilia
Praise Him with the sound of the horn; praise Him with the harp and lyre.
A haloed Cecilia stands with a golden lyre beside a tree, her red mantle trailing over the rocks beneath a crescent moon.
About the artwork
The instrument replaces the organ often associated with Cecilia in Christian art. Its elaborate golden form, the saint’s green dress, and her upward-turned face make music and contemplation the focus of the narrow composition. The distant water and buildings give the figure a secluded landscape setting.
The Metropolitan Museum identifies the medium as gouache and watercolour over graphite on paper mounted to a wood panel. The sheet is only 33.8 cm tall, so its jewel-like detail belongs to an intimate work rather than a large altarpiece. Cecilia’s identity comes from the later Christian tradition of the martyr and patron saint of music.
Featured in: Gustave Moreau’s Bible Paintings: The Homebody Who Painted Salome
What does Psalm 150:3 mean?
Psalm 150 closes the Psalter with an expanding call to praise. Verse 3 names the trumpet, harp, and lyre; the following verses add percussion, strings, and wind instruments until the final summons embraces everything that breathes. Music is gathered into a shared response to God’s greatness and mighty deeds.
The psalm does not name Cecilia. Her lyre makes the connection visible through a later Christian image of sacred music. Moreau’s single figure is quieter than the psalm’s accumulating ensemble, but the instrument allows the solitary scene to be read within that wider invitation to praise.
The lyre gives a direct visual link to the instruments of Psalm 150:3, while Cecilia’s identity belongs to later Christian tradition.
Sources
Gustave Moreau’s Bible Paintings: The Homebody Who Painted Salome. Artwork reading adapted from this guide.
Psalm 150 — Berean Standard Bible. Context for Psalm 150:3.
Also from Psalm:NativityMorning Prayer
Continue looking:Starry Night Over the RhôneThe BedroomThe Birth of the Virgin