"Arcangela Paladini, Artist, Singer, and Medici Protegé"
In the porch of the church of Santa Felicita in Florence sits the imposing funerary monument of one Arcangela Paladini (1596-1622). It bears the intriguing inscription, "Scatter this stone with roses, for here, innocent and of celestial song, lies the siren of Tuscany and the muse of Italy.” Who was this “siren of Tuscany” and why did she, having died at the tender age of 26, merit such a monument? My paper explores the brief life and career of this “siren,” who was not only an angelic singer at the Medici court but also an accomplished painter whose self portrait hangs in the Uffizi galleries. I will also discuss her relationship with contemporary artists and composers, among them Artemisia Gentileschi and Francesca Caccini; her marriage to a wealthy Dutch tapestry- maker; and her musical self-fashioning as Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music. In a description of one of the singer’s captivating performances at court the writer states that he “must not fail to mention the wonderful amazement that Signora Arcangela left in the hearts of everyone there as she represented Saint Cecilia in such a beautiful and devout manner, both with her presence and her song . . . .” I suggest that Arcangela’s representation of Saint Cecilia on that occasion was informed by a tradition of Cecilian imagery that goes back to the early 16th century, with Raphael’s Ecstasy of Saint Cecilia being the prime example. I also discuss the special place of solo singing in the court culture of Medicean Florence, which in fact culminated in the birth of opera.
