The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of October 7, 2026

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
pen and black ink and brown wash heightened with white gouache
Sheet: 19.1 x 15 cm (7 1/2 x 5 7/8 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 2012.98
Location: Not on view

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.
  • French private collection (according to Hilmar Klemke)
  • Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine. Vol. 53 no. 02, March/April 2013 Mentioned & reproduced: p. 18 archive.org
  • Gods and Heroes: Ancient Legends in Renaissance Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 26-December 31, 2017).
    Themes and Variations: Musical Drawings and Prints. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 25-May 17, 2015).
    Treasures on Paper from the Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 9-June 8, 2014).
  • {{cite web|title=Apollo with Erato and Cupid|url=false|author=Johann Kellerthaler|year=1595|access-date=07 October 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2012.98