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Clio, Muse of History
Charles Meynier1800
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States
Clio, the Greek muse of history, is the daughter of Zeus and Titaness Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory. Clio is depicted here writing and surrounded by objects associated with preserving the memory of historical figures and events: busts, reliefs, and sculptures. This painting belongs to a cycle of works commissioned by businessman François Boyer-Fonfréde for his home in Toulouse.
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Details
- Title: Clio, Muse of History
- Creator: Charles Meynier (French, 1768–1832)
- Date Created: 1800
- Physical Dimensions: Framed: 290 x 192.4 x 7 cm (114 3/16 x 75 3/4 x 2 3/4 in.); Unframed: 273 x 176 cm (107 1/2 x 69 5/16 in.)
- Provenance: In 1819, Nicolas-Antoine de Castella, general of the Swiss regiments in France, purchased the paintings and placed them in his Castle of Wallenreid, Switzerland; direct descendants; Pierre de Castella, Mannaz, Switzerland.
- Type: Painting
- Rights: CC0
- External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/2003.6.5
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Fun Fact: Clio's name is derived from a Greek word meaning "to recount" or "to celebrate."
- Department: Modern European Painting and Sculpture
- Culture: France, late 18th-early 19th century
- Credit Line: Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund
- Collection: Mod Euro - Painting 1800-1960
- Accession Number: 2003.6.5
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