Incidental Archaeologists: French Officers and the Rediscovery of Roman North Africa

Abstract

front of the main altar, the sculpture helped to transform the church into one of Rome’s most revered shrines (p. 185). An epilogue takes us away from the chronological and geographic framework of the book to explore the saint’s evolution from saint to muse through the 17th century. The author sought to understand more deeply the origins of the English celebration of Cecilia’s Day and why Protestants came to regard the saint as a symbol of the power of music. Rice has also provided an appendix listing 170 pieces of music composed for Cecilia that were published or copied before 1620, including motets, Masses, and devotional songs. They offer a rich resource not only for music historians but for performers. The work is accessible, well argued, and confidently transcends academic disciplinary boundaries, fusing textual, visual and musical sources with aplomb. Yet this art historian reviewer was unfamiliar with much of the musical terminology, suggesting that of all readers, musicians and music historians are likely to reap the richest rewards. However, the book’s seventy-three colour plates offer a welcome visual chronology of Cecilia’s evolving iconographic role and rising musical star. They encompass a variety of media, including illuminations on parchment in medieval antiphonaries, woodcuts in early printed books, site-specific frescoes and panel paintings, and 16th-century engravings. The colour plates alone attest to the broad dissemination of Cecilia’s image as musician across multiple artistic supports and a wide geographic area. Rice’s book is a readable and richly researched work that makes an invaluable contribution to the understanding of this saint’s iconographic evolution.