The Muses (1578). Jacopo Tintoretto (Italian, 1519-1594). Oil on canvas. Royal Collection Trust.The
The Muses (1578). Jacopo Tintoretto (Italian, 1519-1594). Oil on canvas. Royal Collection Trust.The nine Muses were originally seen as the divine inspiration for poetry, song and dance, but gradually became the emblems for all the liberal arts. With Apollo (represented as the sun) they also symbolised the ‘harmony of the spheres’. Here Tintoretto’s sweeping strokes have created powerfully articulated nudes who fly and turn with extraordinary freedom. Calliope, representing epic poetry, is their chief and plays a stringed instrument; she may therefore be the Muse in the central position, playing the harpsichord or clavicembalo. -- source link
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