Artwork Page for Apollo, God of Light, Eloquence, Poetry, and the Fine Arts with Urania, Muse of Astronomy

Details / Information for Apollo, God of Light, Eloquence, Poetry, and the Fine Arts with Urania, Muse of Astronomy

Apollo, God of Light, Eloquence, Poetry, and the Fine Arts with Urania, Muse of Astronomy

1798

Charles Meynier

(French, 1768–1832)
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Culture
France, late 18th century
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
Overall: 275 x 235 cm (108 1/4 x 92 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 2003.6.3
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
201 French Neoclassical Painting & Sculpture
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Did You Know?

Urania leans on a starry orb, indicating her role as the muse of astronomy.

Description

A recipient of the Grand Prix de Rome in 1789, Charles Meynier became a member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in 1815 and painted large ceiling decorations at the Louvre and numerous pictures glorifying the Napoleonic legend. Erato, Muse of Lyrical Poetry belongs to a cycle of five paintings executed to fulfill a commission from businessman François Boyer-Fonfréde. They were intended to decorate his home in his native Toulouse and constitute a rare instance of a complete cycle of major paintings that remain intact rather than being split up and separately dispersed.
A vertically oriented oil painting in muted colors depicts the god Apollo and muse Urania, both with light skin tones and wavy, blonde hair. Apollo stands center, a lyre, a hand-held harp, in the crook of his left arm while his right arm holds a laurel wreath to the side, his eyes following it. To our right, Urania leans on a starry orb floating on clouds, gazing up at Apollo. Two swans swim in water at their feet and gray clouds collect in the background.

Apollo, God of Light, Eloquence, Poetry, and the Fine Arts with Urania, Muse of Astronomy

1798

Charles Meynier

(French, 1768–1832)
France, late 18th century

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