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Calliope, Muse of Epic Poetry
About the Artwork
The eldest of the nine Greek muses, Calliope was the goddess of music, song, and dance. She was also known as the goddess of epic poetry and conferred the gift of eloquence on kings and princes. She stands here before a bust of Homer, the ancient Greek poet who wrote the Odyssey and the Iliad. This painting belongs to a cycle of five works commissioned by businessman François Boyer-Fonfréde for his home in Toulouse.
Provenance
In 1819, Nicolas-Antoine de Castella, general of the Swiss regiments in France, purchased the paintings and placed them in his Castle of Wallenreid, Switzerland; direct descendants; Pierre de Castella, Mannaz, Switzerland.
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Charles Meynier (French, 1768–1832)
- Date
- 1798
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- Overall: 275 x 177 cm (108 1/4 x 69 11/16 in.)
- Type
- Painting
- Classification
- Painting
- Department
- Modern European Painting and Sculpture
- Credit line
- Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund
- Accession no.
- 2003.6.4
More by Charles Meynier in museum collections
Apollo, God of Light, Eloquence, Poetry, and the Fine Arts with Urania, Muse of Astronomy
Charles Meynier1798 · Painting
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Open-access museum record · AT-00009188
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