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Apollo with his lyre, with Mercury and a muse

Giovanni Battista Cipriani

1750

watercolor

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Romanticism 18th Century Mythology

Dominant colour

Apollo with his lyre, with Mercury and a muse is a 1750 watercolor by Giovanni Battista Cipriani, a Romanticism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who painted this?: Giovanni Battista Cipriani
When & what style?: 1750 · Romanticism
Where can I see it?: Victoria and Albert Museum

About this work

This round drawing shows three figures in a garden setting. The central figure is a shirtless man sitting on a low wall, holding a lyre. To his left, a woman in flowing robes leans slightly forward, her hand raised. On his right, another shirtless man stands, holding a staff with two snakes wrapped around it. The background has trees and a rocky path, with a border of decorative lines around the scene. The lyre and the snake-staff hint at classical mythology. The soft watercolor style and dreamy figures suggest a focus on emotion and nature. Look up Romanticism next to see how this style shaped art.

The story of this work

Overview

A circular watercolour design created in 1750 by Cipriani features Apollo holding a lyre, accompanied by Mercury and a muse, and is signed by the artist.

Read the full account in the museum source.