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Terpsichore Lyran (Muse of Lyric Poetry)
Also known as: Terpsichore, Muse of Choral Song and Dance; Terpsichore
About the Artwork
In Greek mythology, Terpsichore was one of the nine Muses, or goddesses of creative inspiration. The lyre, the Greek inscription on the short column, and the caduceus (entwined snakes) on the side identify the figure as Terpsichore Lyran, muse of lyric poetry. This sculpture began with a commission from Napoleon's brother, Lucien, for an idealized portrait of his wife, Alexandrine. Antonio Canova made this version for a British aristocrat and exhibited it in 1817 at the Royal Academy in London to great acclaim.
Inscriptions
inscribed on front of column: "Terpsichore Lyran" [Terpsichore as the Muse of lyric poetry]; inscribed at base of column: "Canova Fact: 1816"
Provenance
Simon H. Clarke, 9th Bt., 1764-1832 (Oak Hill, East Barnet, England); Alfred de Rothschild, 1842-1918 (Halton, Buckinghamshire, England), by inheritance to his nephew, Lionel de Rothschild, 1918; Lionel Nathan de Rothschild, 1882-1942 (Exbury, Hampshire, England), 1918-1942, by inheritance to his first son, Edmund Leopold de Rothschild, 1942; Edmund Leopold de Rothschild, born 1916 (Exbury, Hampshire, England), sold to Wildenstein & Co., 1963; Wildenstein & Co. (New York, New York), sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1968. 1968-: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Exhibition history
Year in Review for 1968. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 29-March 9, 1969). Canova: Sketching in Clay. National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC (organizer) (June 11-October 9, 2023) https://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/2023/canova-sketching-in-clay.html.
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Antonio Canova (Italian, 1757–1822)
- Date
- 1816
- Medium
- marble
- Dimensions
- Overall: 177.5 x 78.1 x 61 cm (69 7/8 x 30 3/4 x 24 in.)
- Type
- Sculpture
- Classification
- Sculpture
- Department
- Modern European Painting and Sculpture
- Credit line
- Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
- Accession no.
- 1968.212
More by Antonio Canova in museum collections
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 7, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Open-access museum record · AT-00000283
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