The Muses: Clio, Euterpe and Thalia

Eustache Le Sueur painted Baroque work between 1652 and 1655 for the Cabinet des Muses in the Hôtel Lambert on Paris's Île Saint-Louis. Three muses appear: Clio (history), Euterpe (music), and Thalia (comedy). They are arranged diagonally, creating movement across the composition.

The Hôtel Lambert was built by Louis Le Vau for Jean-Baptiste Lambert de Thorigny between 1641 and 1644. Le Sueur executed elaborate decorative schemes for the house, including the Cabinet de l'Amour and this series depicting all nine muses. The paintings remained in situ until 1776, when heirs sold them. At the instigation of the comte d'Angiviller, Louis XVI acquired them for 50,000 livres. This panel measures 130 x 130 cm, oil on panel, and now hangs at the Louvre in Paris.