Een visioen van S. Filippo Neri 1596 - 1646

This is Giovanni Stefano Marucelli's drawing of Saint Filippo Neri's vision. Angels and the divine fill the skies above him, a scene rendered with ink and watercolor. Here, the saint, known for his joyous disposition and charitable work, is caught in a moment of divine ecstasy. This rapture is depicted through upward-reaching cherubs, and a celestial figure holding an orb. This orb, often a symbol of earthly power and dominion, contrasts the saint’s humility, yet here is presented by God, indicating divine blessing. We see similar iconography in countless depictions of coronations of monarchs, Mary, or Saints. The orb here becomes a beacon of spiritual and divine enlightenment. The gestures of these figures—the angels reaching down, Saint Filippo's faint posture, and the light surrounding the celestial figures—trigger deep-seated feelings. Consider how such imagery persists, echoing in diverse contexts from religious art to secular representations of enlightenment. The non-linear evolution of these symbols reflects our collective subconscious, revealing the persistent human need for connection with the divine.