This artwork, by the American artist Henry Siddons Mowbray (c. 1858–1928), depicts the Muse of Lyric Poetry and it is part of a series of paintings devoted to different Muses of arts and sciences. Mowbray’s series expanded beyond historical muses, but this particular Muse of Lyric Poetry is a figure that is grounded in traditional Greek and Roman mythology. Namely, the Muse of Lyric Poetry was a goddess called Erato, whose name goes back at least to the 8th century BCE. A scholar named Diodorus Siculus (c. 1st century BCE) wrote of the evolution of Muse worship, stating:
“The majority of the writers of myths and those who enjoy the greatest reputation say that they were daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne; but a few poets, among whose number is Alcman, state that they were daughters of Uranus and Gê. Writers similarly disagree also concerning the number of the Muses; for some say that they are three, and others that they are nine, but the number nine has prevailed since it rests upon the authority of the most distinguished men, such as Homer and Hesiod and others like them…To each of the Muses men assign her special aptitude for one of the branches of the liberal arts, such as poetry, song, pantomimic dancing, the round dance with music, the study of the stars, and the other liberal arts” (Diodorus Siculus, Library of History, 4.7).
Hesiod (c. 8th century BCE), who was mentioned by Diodorus Siculus, is thought to have been the first to name the nine canonical Muses of the Greco-Roman religious worldview. He wrote, “the Muses sang, who dwell in Olympus, the nine daughters born of great Zeus, Clio and Euterpe and Thaleia and Melpomene, Terpsichore and Erato and Polyhymnia and Urania, and Calliope, who is chief among them all” (Hesiod, Theogony, approximately lines 76-79). On Erato and her name, the scholar Diodorus Siculus (c. 1st century BCE) wrote, “For the name of each Muse, they say, men have found a reason appropriate to her…Erato [lovely one], because she makes those who are instructed by her…desired and worthy to be loved” (Diodorus Siculus, Library of History, 4.7). Focusing in on the concepts of love and desire, Erato and her lyrical sphere of influence encompassed poetry on love and erotic themes. Plato (c. 427-347 BCE), referencing this, made mention of “Erato for the lovers” or “Erato for the poets of love” in his Phaedrus (Plato, Phaedrus, section 259). Given her musical qualities, Erato was also associated with the lyre.
It is this goddess, Erato, the Muse of Lyric poetry and songs, that Henry Siddons Mowbray re-creates in his painting. Erato can be seen wearing clothing dyed in red and pink hues, which are appropriate for her poetic themes of love and eroticism. Additionally, in details that signal her influence over verse and music, the goddess wears the headpiece of a poet and can be seen strumming on the strings of her lyre.
Written by C. Keith Hansley
Sources:
- The Library of History, by Diodorus Siculus, edited by Giles Laurén (Sophron Editor, 2014).
- Theogony and Works and Days by Hesiod, translated by M. L. West. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988, 1999, 2008.
- The Oxford Dictionary of Classical Myth and Religion, edited by Simon Price and Emily Kearns. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.
- https://topostext.org/work/94
- https://www.theoi.com/Ouranios/MousaErato.html
- https://artgallery.yale.edu/collections/objects/2718
