Artwork Page for Terpsichore Lyran (Muse of Lyric Poetry)

Details / Information for Terpsichore Lyran (Muse of Lyric Poetry)

Terpsichore Lyran (Muse of Lyric Poetry)

1816

Antonio Canova

(Italian, 1757–1822)
Culture
Italy, 19th century
Medium
marble
Measurements
Overall: 177.5 x 78.1 x 61 cm (69 7/8 x 30 3/4 x 24 in.)
Weight: 1236 lbs
Credit Line
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund 1968.212
Public Domain
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Location
200 Rotunda
Print
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Did You Know?

Trained by his grandfather, an Italian stonemason, Canova began modeling clay and carving marble sculptures before age ten.

Description

In Greek mythology, Terpsichore was one of the nine Muses, or goddesses of creative inspiration. The lyre, the Greek inscription on the short column, and the caduceus (entwined snakes) on the side identify the figure as Terpsichore Lyran, muse of lyric poetry. This sculpture began with a commission from Napoleon's brother, Lucien, for an idealized portrait of his wife, Alexandrine. Antonio Canova made this version for a British aristocrat and exhibited it in 1817 at the Royal Academy in London to great acclaim.
White, marble sculpture depicting Terpsichore Lyran, a muse standing next to a square column on which stands a lyre, a small, u-shaped harp. She wraps her left arm around the lyre, grasping its outer edge as she leans against the column, looking to her right, her legs crossed. She wears a tunic wrapped around her in rippling folds. A band wraps around her curly hair, pulled back in a ponytail with ringlets framing her face.

Terpsichore Lyran (Muse of Lyric Poetry)

1816

Antonio Canova

(Italian, 1757–1822)
Italy, 19th century

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