Artwork Page for Apollo with Erato and Cupid

Details / Information for Apollo with Erato and Cupid

Apollo with Erato and Cupid

1595

Johann Kellerthaler

(German, c. 1560/2–1611)
Culture
Germany
Medium
pen and black ink and brown wash heightened with white gouache
Support
Laid paper
Measurements
Sheet: 19.1 x 15 cm (7 1/2 x 5 7/8 in.)
Credit Line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 2012.98
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

In this visual allegory of poetry, Apollo holds his attribute, the kithara, a stringed instrument used in the recitation of epic poems. Erato, the Muse of lyric poetry, appears with a lute and tambourine at her feet. Lyric poetry typically expresses an idea or emotion, such as love, through short, musical, and rhythmic verse. Kellerthaler lived in Dresden, where he regularly worked for members of the Saxon court as a painter, sculptor, printmaker, and goldsmith.
A vertically oriented brown wash drawing depicts Apollo, Erato, and Cupid with light skin tones. Apollo stands at left wearing a leafy crown, looking toward Erato on the right who stands partially draped. Between them, the winged Cupid holds a bow over a stone plinth. In the foreground, a lute and tambourine rest on the ground. Heavy drapery and architecture frame the scene, with a cursive inscription and the date 1595 at the bottom.

Apollo with Erato and Cupid

1595

Johann Kellerthaler

(German, c. 1560/2–1611)
Germany

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