This drawing is a sketch for the future painting of this image. It is a depiction of the Virgin Mary inspired by the hymn “Tota Pulchra”- a Marian hymn of a 4th century text, which was itself inspired by the Song of Songs 4:7.

St. Cecilia was born in the 2nd century of a wealthy and noble Roman family. At a very early age, Cecilia had taken a vow of virginity, though her parents obliged her to marry a nobleman named Valerian.

This drawing was commissioned as a wedding gift for a couple, whose wedding was on the Feast of the Queenship of Mary, August 22nd. It is based on and inspired by traditional, black and white intricate lithographs found in the Old Roman Missal.