AFTER THE ANTIQUE, ITALIAN, LATE 18TH OR EARLY 19TH CENTURY

In her earliest incarnation Melpomene was known as the muse of singing. She was, however, later transformed into the ancient Greek muse of tragedy. The antique prototype upon which the marble bust offered here is based is the full-length 1st -2nd century AD Roman marble - itself a copy of an ancient Greek original - in the Museo Pio Clementino in the Vatican. In this full-length form she is represented holding a tragic mask and a dagger in each hand and wearing a crown of cypress leaves.