Belvedere Muses

Name: Belvedere Muses

Date: 1714-1723

Designer: Dominique Girard

Location: Belvedere Palace, Vienna, Austria

Approximate Dimensions: unknown

Medium: white marble

Sources of info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belvedere_(palace)

Understanding Architecture: Its Elements History and Meaning.

Picture taken by: Kate Tricarico

Significance of the work:

Belvedere is an architectural term adopted from the Italian phrase for “fair view”, which refers to any architectural structure sited to take advantage of a view. The actual structure can be of any form, whether a turret, a cupola or an open gallery. An exmple of another well known Belvedere buildings in Europe would be the Vatican Palace which was created under the commission of Pope Julius II. Within the courtyard of this particular Belvedere stood the Apollo Belvedere, called such because of the statues location within the belvedere walls.

The Belvedere Palace in Vienna, Austria is one of the most happily situated properties in the capital and a classic example of Belvedere architecture. While the gardens of this palace do not contain such famous works as the Apollo Belvedere, the gravel paths are lines with sculpted marble statues of the nine muses from Greek and Roman mythology. These muses, all women, were called the daughters of Apollo and are highly venerated by poets and musicians.