Terpsichore

The Muse is shown in profile, dressed in elaborate classical drapery with her hair bound by a simple headband. She is captured in the act of playing a lute, while a large harp lies on the ground before her, identifying her as a patron of stringed music. The work features the swelling, rhythmic line work and muscular anatomy characteristic of the Haarlem Mannerist style.

As part of a set of the nine Muses, this work represents the Renaissance synthesis of classical mythology and Neoplatonic cosmology, where the Muses embody the 'Harmony of the Spheres.' In the tradition of Marsilio Ficino, the Muses were seen as celestial mediators whose music echoed the divine order of the planetary movements.