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This is a drawing depicting a gathering with mythical elements and figures, set in a classical or mythological framework. In the center, a nude figure with a lyre stands on a rock, surrounded by elegantly dressed individuals engaged in music and the arts. Some figures are playing musical instruments, while others are in discussion or contemplation. In the upper right, angelic beings with wings hover, one holding a trumpet. To the right, a winged horse akin to Pegasus stands on its hind legs. The background includes trees and a rolling landscape. The drawing showcases precise and delicate lines, indicative of classical or neoclassical draftsmanship.
National Gallery of Art · Drawing
Apollo, the Muses, and Mars: In Praise of Tasso
Giovanni Battista Piazzetta
- Date
- 1740/1745
- Medium
- black chalk on laid paper
- Dimensions
- overall: 42.5 × 29.9 cm (16 3/4 × 11 3/4 in.)
- Classification
- Drawing
- Accession number
- 1981.65.1
- Credit line
- Pepita Milmore Memorial Fund
- Time span
- 1726 to 1750
- Department
- CG-E
Subjects and terms
- Baroque
- Venetian
- apotheosis
- secular
- Tasso, Torquanto
Provenance
(sale Sotheby's London, 7 December 1978, no. 114); Adolphe Stein Gallery, Paris; purchased by NGA.
Watermarks
Strasburg Lily, close to Heawood 1479 (Amersterdam 1658) and 1534 (London 1700); separate double-line capitals "C & I HONIG," smaller version of Heawood 3348 (Amsterdam after 1740)
NGA object ID 60895. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.