'Music Sweet Music' (Saint Cecilia)

Evelyn De Morgan painted 'Music Sweet Music' (depicting Saint Cecilia) in 1884, taking as her subject the patron saint of music, who according to tradition sang to God in her heart during her forced marriage and whose name became synonymous with the spiritual power of musical devotion. Saint Cecilia had been a major subject in European painting since the Renaissance — Raphael's famous altarpiece was the definitive treatment — and De Morgan's engagement with the subject reflects both the Pre-Raphaelite tradition within which she had trained and her own deep spiritual commitments. De Morgan was a devout Christian with strongly held spiritual beliefs, and she approached religious subjects with genuine conviction rather than merely aesthetic interest. The National Trust's canvas shows her mature handling of a figure subject that combined her love of music, her spiritual seriousness, and her considerable abilities as a painter of the female form in decorative interior settings.

The oil on canvas employs De Morgan's characteristic technique: clear, luminous colour derived from her study of Italian Quattrocento painting, precise drawing of the figure, and rich decorative treatment of the surrounding elements — the musical instrument, the interior setting, the fabric. Her palette is typically warm and jewel-bright rather than atmospheric or shadowed.