Terpsichore et Kalliope 1791

Gerhard Ludvig Lahde produced this engraving, "Terpsichore et Kalliope," sometime between the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The image depicts two of the nine muses from Greek mythology, one strumming a lyre and the other writing, set within an idealized landscape. Lahde was a printmaker working in Denmark. It's worth remembering that, at the time, the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts was central to artistic production. The Academy promoted Neoclassicism, which looked to ancient Greece and Rome for its models. This print reflects that classicizing taste. But it also speaks to a broader cultural interest in the arts and sciences during the Enlightenment. The muses, as patrons of these fields, embodied the era's values. Note, too, that prints like this circulated widely, helping to disseminate these values beyond the walls of institutions like the Academy. To understand this image fully, we can consult sources like the Academy's records, period publications, and biographical information on Lahde himself, all to gain a better sense of the print’s original social context.