Calliope (muse of heroic poetry), as sculpted Austin Pajou (c. 1763), in the French Neoclassical style. The name for Calliope comes from the Greek
Καλλιόπη (
Kalliope, or "beautiful-voiced"), and she is conventionally depicted
holding a book or tablet.
In this detail, we see that the sculptor has chosen to show her holding an open book. On these pages are a Latin inscription. The first 3 lines on the left-hand page read CALLIOPE REGI/NA HOMINVM / DIVVMQVE (Calliope, Queen of Humans and Gods). The "queen" form of address is an allusion to Horace, whose Latin poetry refers to Calliope as
regina, or queen (
Carminae, III.iv.2). National Gallery of Art, West Wing.
To read more about this sculpture (including a full transcript of the Latin inscription),
see here.
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