Erato
1869
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
43 1/2 x 33 1/2 in. (110.5 x 83.8 cm)
Classification
Painting
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of an Association of Ladies and Gentlemen, 1874
Accession Number
74.49
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold *Erato*, a captivating 1869 oil on canvas by Italian-born American artist Joseph Fagnani, gracing the Metropolitan Museum of's American Wing. Measuring an impressive 43½ × 33½ inches, this work portrays Erato, the ancient Greek Muse of lyric and erotic poetry, gracefully holding a lyre—her iconic symbol. Surrounding her are ethereal women embodying fellow Muses and the playful figure of Cupid, evoking themes of inspiration, love, and creativity in a lush, classical tableau. Fagnani, active in mid-19th-century New York, blended European academic training with American sensibilities, ren...