Apollo and the Muses
by PERUZZI, Baldassare, Oil on wood, 35 x 78 cm
This panel was part of a case for a keyboard instrument; Apollo and the nine Muses, their names written below in Greek, are a suitable subject for such a purpose. Peruzzi, a follower of Raphael, was an architect and painter who moved fluidly among artistic tasks, but his heart was in drawing, as the dancers’ gracefully swirling skirts joyously demonstrate.