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The Dispute between the Muses and the Daughters of Pierios on Parnassus

A work made of engraving, printed in black, on paper.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of engraving, printed in black, on paper.

Date:

1553

Artist:

Enea Vico
Italian, 1523-1567

About this artwork

A Renaissance printmaker who also reproduced ancient medals, Enea Vico engraved this scene of embattled female artistry. The Muses, daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne and companions of Apollo on Mount Parnassus, spread art and culture throughout the world. But their gifts also inspired hubris. According to Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the mythical Macedonian king Pierios named his nine daughters after the Muses, believing they would be as talented. Here Apollo, a wreathed Dionysos, and other gods watch as the Muses (the nudes at left) challenge the king’s daughters. The Muses prevailed in the competition, and Pierios’s daughters were turned into chattering magpies as punishment, a fate suggested by the flock of birds in the distant background.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Enea Vico

Title

The Dispute between the Muses and the Daughters of Pierios on Parnassus

Place

Italy (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 1553

Medium

Engraving, printed in black, on paper

Dimensions

24.5 × 38.4 cm (9 11/16 × 15 1/8 in.)

Credit Line

The Wallace L. DeWolf and Joseph Brooks Fair Collections

Reference Number

1920.2465

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/80257/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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