In the center of this relief, Apollo is depicted playing his lyre with Pegasus at his left. The nine Muses, each with her their own instrument, accompany Apollo in song, a scene likely inspired by Raphael’s fresco of Mount Parnassus, painted on Pope Julius II’s library wall in the early 16th century. Mount Parnassus was believed to be the home of the Muses and to Pegasus, and, because of the oracle at Delphi, was sacred to Apollo as well. The silversmith incised “C.I. 1590” under the left leg of the Muse playing the harp. This roundel probably served as the base of a tazza or platter at one time, before it was cut down to its present size.
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