The Muse Terpsichore

c. 1768

Augustin Pajou

Associated Names
Augustin Pajou

Artist, French, 1730 - 1809

The sculpture depicts a classical female figure standing on a pedestal. She is draped in flowing robes that contour her form, exposing one shoulder and arm. The figure holds a small object in her left hand and her right hand rests on an intricately carved element resembling an ornate scroll. The sculpture appears to be rendered in a monochromatic reddish-brown color, resembling terracotta. The figure is facing slightly to her left, with her head gently tilted.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    red chalk on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund

  • Dimensions

    overall: 30 x 20.5 cm (11 13/16 x 8 1/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1997.39.1

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Sale, New York, Sotheby's, 29 January 1997, no. 127); purchased (via W.M. Brady & Co., Inc, New York) by NGA, 1997.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1997

  • Building a Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1997-1998, no. 44.

2009

  • Renaissance to Revolution: French Drawings from the National Gallery of Art, 1500-1800. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2009, 224-225, 289, no. 97 (color).

Bibliography

1997

  • Draper, James David, and Guilhem Scherf. Augustin Pajou: Royal Sculptor, 1730-1809. Exh. cat. Musée du Louvre, Paris; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. New York, 1997: 123, under no. 48.

Wikidata ID

Q64536967

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