Thalia, Muse of Comedy, plate 14 from Parnassus Biceps
Medium
Engraving in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image: 23.2 × 14 cm (9 3/16 × 5 9/16 in.); Plate: 25.8 × 14 cm (10 3/16 × 5 9/16 in.); Sheet: 28 × 16.3 cm (11 1/16 × 6 7/16 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
157148
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
In Greek mythology, the nine Muses governed the arts and music. Melpomene, in the print on the left (see 1920.2037), was the protector of tragedy; her counterpart Thalia, Muse of comedy and bucolic poetry, is visible on the right. Each Muse holds a mask—a tragic mask for Melpomene, a comic one for Thalia. Behind Thalia, a pedestal is piled with other comic masks. The duality of tragedy and comedy as manifested in these two deities brings to mind the universally recognizable image of the laughing...
About the Artist
Johann Theodor de Bry · 1561–1923
Comment on works: copper engraver