Tersicore

Tersicore — Terpsichore, Muse of dance and choral song — was one of the nine Muses of classical antiquity, and her depiction in fifteenth-century Italian painting reflects the deepening engagement of Early Renaissance humanism with ancient mythological personages. Angelo Maccagnino, also known as Angelo da Siena, was a painter associated with the Este court at Ferrara who contributed to the famous studiolo cycle at Belfiore — a series of Muse panels commissioned by Leonello d'Este that represented some of the earliest large-scale mythological paintings of the Italian Renaissance. These Muse panels, now divided among several collections, are pioneering works in the recovery of classical subject matter for Italian painting. The Museo Poldi Pezzoli panel is thus a significant document in the history of Renaissance mythological painting.

The Muse is depicted in a dignified standing or seated pose with attributes appropriate to her domain — dance gesture or musical instrument. Maccagnino's Ferrarese style combines Florentine influence with the linear elegance typical of Este court painting. The palette is refined, with careful attention to the figure's drapery and the decorative surface quality expected by the Este patrons.