The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

Urania (astronomy) (from the Tarocchi series D: Apollo and the Muses, #12)

Urania (astronomy) (from the Tarocchi series D: Apollo and the Muses, #12)

before 1467
(Italian, 15th century)
Italy, Ferrara, 15th century
engraving hand-colored with gold
Dudley P. Allen Fund 1924.432.12
Catalogue raisonné: Hind E.I.12a
Location: not on view

Description

This engraving is part of the Tarocchi group marked with the letter “D,” and named Apollo and the Muses. In Greek mythology, the nine Muses (Calliope, Urania, Terpsichore, Erato, Polyhymnia, Thalia, Melpomene, Euterpe, and Clio) were the daughters of Zeus, king of the gods, and Mnemosyne, the Titaness of memory. The Muses were goddesses presiding over different branches of the arts and sciences. Their leader and supervisor was Apollo, the god of light, music, prophecy, and poetry.

Here, Urania is personified as a full-length female figure, set in an imaginary hilly landscape. She carries a celestial globe in her left hand, and a compass in her right hand, symbolizing that she is the Muse of Astronomy.
  • CMA 1996: Sets and Series: Five Centuries of Master Prints, February 20-May 5, 1996, no cat.
  • {{cite web|title=Urania (astronomy) (from the Tarocchi series D: Apollo and the Muses, #12)|url=false|author=Master of the E-Series Tarocchi|year=before 1467|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1924.432.12