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Muses - Erato

Erection date: 1933

Mary Hutchinson as Erato the muse of lyric poetry. Note the owl behind her.

Site: National Gallery - Anrep mosaics - Muses (11 memorials)

WC2, Trafalgar Square, National Gallery - Staircase Hall - Half-way Landing

Introduction to the Anrep Mosaics
Four floors in the Staircase Hall (1887) of the original National Gallery building are inlaid with delightful and puzzling mosaics by Boris Anrep. Laid in 1928-33 and 1954, these mosaics show gods and muses, and various human activities, many in the guise of real people of the day: contemporaries of Anrep, involved in public, intellectual and cultural life, all known to Anrep personally, such as those also associated with the Bloomsbury Group.

Entering via the original building’s portico entrance you first come across the ‘Awakening of the Muses’ on the halfway landing. From there you can take flights of stairs to either: the west vestibule and see the ‘Labours of Life’; the east vestibule and see the ‘Pleasures of Life’; the north vestibule and see the ‘Modern Virtues’. Richard Evans has a photo showing this original layout of the space.

The west and east vestibule floors were opened on 31 May 1928 and 13 November 1929 respectively and both were the gift of Samuel Courtauld and other benefactors.

When we visited (April 2024) the only access to the east and west vestibules was via the north vestibule and even then part of the floors were obscured with screens. The mosaics in the east and west vestibules are no less interesting than the others but fortunately for us, do not, as far as we know, contain any portraits, so our research and photos are confined to the 'Muses' on the halfway landing (this photo) and the 'Modern Virtues' in the north vestibule, on another page

We must apologise for the quality of our images. The spaces are lit from above, making it difficult to keep glare and shadows out of photos.

When you visit ask at the entrance desk and they may have in stock their leaflet: "An Introduction to Boris Anrep's Mosaics at the National Gallery". This provides a key to all 4 mosaic floors and is similar to these web pages.

Awakening of the Muses
This 'Awakening of the Muses' floor was  gifted (which we take to mean funded) by Samuel Courtauld and other benefactors, and opened in 1933. 

It depicts two male gods: Apollo, playing a pipe, and Bacchus, surrounded by the 9 muses being awakened. Plants and many creatures are depicted; we spotted: a rabbit, a squirrel, a snail, a spider in its web, frogs, birds of various sorts, butterflies, etc. 

To avoid database clutter we have put the Creator links on just one page - Apollo.

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This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Muses - Erato

Subjects commemorated i

Mary Hutchinson

Short-story writer, socialite, model (for painters) and a member of the Bloom...

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This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
Muses - Erato

Also at this site i

Muses - Apollo

Muses - Apollo

Osbert Sitwell as Apollo, god of music, dance and lots more, plays a pipe to ...

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Muses - Bacchus

Muses - Bacchus

Clive Bell as Bacchus, god of wine, parties, the theatre and general fun/mayh...

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Muses - Calliope

Muses - Calliope

The NG leaflet, referring to Calliope, the muse of epic poetry, has "Unknown ...

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Muses - Clio

Muses - Clio

Virginia Woolf as Clio the muse of history, holding a quill pen.

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Muses - Euterpe

Muses - Euterpe

Christabel, Lady Aberconway as Euterpe the muse of music.

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Nearby Memorials

Virtues - Lucidity

Virtues - Lucidity

WC2, Trafalgar Square, National Gallery - Staircase Hall - North Vestibule

Bertrand Russell is reaching out to remove a blindfold from a naked woman who holds a mirror. She is the symbolic figure of Truth and he ...

1 subject commemorated
Virtues - Pursuit

Virtues - Pursuit

WC2, Trafalgar Square, National Gallery - Staircase Hall - North Vestibule

Fred Hoyle became known for his original, even controversial, approach to his topic. Here, to observe the glittering, swirling, celestial...

1 subject commemorated
Silver Jubilee urn

Silver Jubilee urn

WC1, Queen Square

Hughes became Poet Laureate a few years later and Larkin was of similar standing. In our view their lines for the jubilee do not greatly ...

2 subjects commemorated, 2 creators
Michael Winner

Michael Winner

SW1, Horse Guards Road, Cambridge Green

A memorial service for Michael Winner, attended by, amongst others, Sir Roger Moore, Sir Michael Caine and Sir Michael Parkinson, was hel...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
St Bartholomew's Hospital - founding

St Bartholomew's Hospital - founding

EC1, West Smithfield, St Bartholomew's Hospital

The two figures on the broken pediment represent lameness and sickness.

3 subjects commemorated, 2 creators

Previously viewed

St Peters Eaton Square - WW1 memorial - names

St Peters Eaton Square - WW1 memorial - names

SW1, Eaton Square, St Peters

The Biblical quotation at the end of the inscription is from 1 John 3:16. This is a very unusual style for a WW1 memorial and we think i...

War dead | WW1
147 subjects commemorated
New Cross Fire - Hackney

New Cross Fire - Hackney

E5, Corner of Downs Park and Queensdown Roads, Hackney Downs

These trees were planted in the memory of the 13 children who died in the New Cross fire on the 18th Jan 1981.

1 subject commemorated
Caesar's Camp 1

Caesar's Camp 1

SE19, Camp Road

The smaller plaque is between the two posts on the right of the photograph.

1 subject commemorated, 2 creators
Paul Ruddock

Paul Ruddock

Paul Edward Ruddock was born on 19 November 1958 and in 1980 he married Sandra J. Lagey (b.1959) in the Camberwell registration district He died, aged 23 years, on 9 February 1981 as a result of i...

Person, Tragedy

2 memorials
Boris the cat

Boris the cat

NW5, Anglers Lane, 24

Boris the cat lived here, 1986 - 1996.

1 subject commemorated