Artwork
Euterpe (music, lyric poetry) (from the Tarocchi series D: Apollo and the Muses, #18)
Euterpe (music, lyric poetry) (from the Tarocchi series D: Apollo and the Muses, #18) is a print by the Renaissance artist Master of the E-Series Tarocchi. It dates from 1467 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. This engraving, Euterpe, is part of the Tarocchi series D: Apollo and the Muses.
About this work
Overview
This engraving, Euterpe, is part of the Tarocchi series D: Apollo and the Muses. It is one of a set of prints created in Ferrara around the 1460s, depicting the nine Muses and their leader Apollo.
Subject & Meaning
Euterpe, the Muse of music and lyric poetry, is represented as a full-length figure in a hilly landscape, leaning against a tree. She is associated with the arts, being one of the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, and is shown playing a musical instrument.
Technique & Style
The print shows Euterpe holding an aulos, an ancient Greek wind instrument, although some visual sources depict her with a lute and a book. The artist's use of light and shadow is notable, particularly in the rendering of her sleeve.
Context
The Tarocchi series was not only used for games but also served as a teaching tool for mythology among artists. The neat arrangement of the Muses around Apollo suggests a deliberate composition.
Artist & collection
Artist
Master of the E-Series Tarocchi
Master of the E-Series Tarocchi (b. 1400) was an Italian artist.
Polyhymnia (heroic hymns) (from the Tarocchi series D: Apollo and the Muses, #15)
Terpsichore (dancing and song) (from the Tarocchi series D: Apollo and the Muses, #13)
Thalia (comedy, pastoral poetry) (from the Tarocchi series D: Apollo and the Muses, #16)
Calliope (from the Tarocchi series D: Apollo and the Muses, #11)
Urania (astronomy) (from the Tarocchi series D: Apollo and the Muses, #12)
Erato (lyric and love poetry) (from the Tarocchi series D: Apollo and the Muses, #14)
Euterpe
Euterpe (Personification of Music)
Clio (history) (from the Tarocchi series D: Apollo and the Muses, #19)