Apollo with Erato and Cupid
1595
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1595
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Apollo with Erato and Cupid is a 1595 by Johann Kellerthaler, a Renaissance work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see Apollo, a musician, with two other figures, Erato and Cupid. Apollo holds a stringed instrument. He's surrounded by symbols of music and poetry, like a lute and tambourine, which were used to express emotions through verse. The artist likely chose these symbols to represent the power of music and poetry. This was a common theme in art back then. Check out more works at The Cleveland Museum of Art.
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.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Johann Kellerthaler (1560–1611) was a German artist.
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