Euterpe

Master of the E-Series Tarocchi (active ca. 1465)

Item type:

print

Date of creation:

ca. 1465

Height:

17.9 cm  (7 1/16 in.)

Width:

10.0 cm  (3 15/16 in.)

Technique / Medium:

engraving heightened with gold

Place of creation:

Italia

Description

From the Minneapolis Institute of Art web site: Some of the earliest Italian prints ever made, the Tarocchi resemble tarot cards in design but were actually too large to hold as a deck of cards. The so-called E-series engravings, with their lovely allegorical figures, are famed for their precise outlines and refined modeling technique. Justice belongs to the suit of Genii and Virtues. The sword signifies the power of Justice; the scales, her impartiality. The crane holding the stone represents vigilance because if it fell asleep the stone would drop and awaken it. Euterpe is from the Muses and Apollo suit. The patroness of flute music, Euterpe is accompanied by a blank disk representing the celestial sphere of the Ptolemaic universe.

Iconclass

92D422
Euterpe (one of the Muses); 'Euterpe' (Ripa)
48C723
portrait of a musician
48C7525
one person playing wind instrument
49C124
'Musica' (~ quadrivium); 'Musica' (Ripa)

Instruments [MIMO Code] (notes)

End-blown flute [3940] (double flute or recorder)

RIdIM images

Image URLs

image link 1

RIdIM record id

6256