91³Ô¹ÏÍø

Other

Muses - Melpomene

Erection date: 1933

Greta Garbo, as Melpomene the muse of tragedy, raises a wreath in her left hand, and has a tragic mask near her right hand.

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’. 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 .

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.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in to see them

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

Subjects commemorated i

Greta Garbo

Swedish-American actress and Hollywood star. Born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson in ...

91³Ô¹ÏÍø

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

Also at this site i

Muses - Apollo

Muses - Apollo

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

91³Ô¹ÏÍø

Muses - Bacchus

Muses - Bacchus

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

91³Ô¹ÏÍø

Muses - Calliope

Muses - Calliope

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

91³Ô¹ÏÍø

Muses - Clio

Muses - Clio

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

91³Ô¹ÏÍø

Muses - Erato

Muses - Erato

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

91³Ô¹ÏÍø

Nearby Memorials

Devonshire Coat-of-Arms

Devonshire Coat-of-Arms

W1, Mayfair Place, Devonshire House

This coat-of-arms is inside the arcade.

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Three Kings at Eltham Palace

Three Kings at Eltham Palace

SE18, Wellington Street, Greenwich Town Hall

We wondered what brought about this gathering of kings (four if you include the host, King Edward III), but could not track down any refe...

5 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
Muses - Thalia

Muses - Thalia

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

Lady Lesley Jowitt as Thalia the muse of comedy and bucolic poetry.

1 subject commemorated
Barbican frieze

Barbican frieze

EC1, Aldersgate Street

Our photo shows just one section of the frieze which covers the full width of this structure, behind the word "Barbican".

2 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
St Aloysius' College

St Aloysius' College

N6, Hornsey Lane

This memorial is in the grounds at the front of the school. Note the statue in the photograph - there is nothing on it to say but we gue...

1 subject commemorated, 2 creators