How a Russian artist invented a new muse for Apollo (PHOTO)

There is a ninth muse, but not an ancient one. It was invented by artist and academician Alexei Titov, who supervised the painting of the Bolshoi Theater ceiling in 1856.

According to ancient Greek mythology, Apollo, the god of the arts, had nine muses, all patrons of various arts. However, Titov, while painting the ceiling, deviated from the myth. It’s speculated that he did this, because he wanted to immortalize the patroness of his own craft – painting – on the theater's ceiling. As a result, in the circle dance on the ceiling, instead of Polyhymnia, the muse of sacred hymns, a different, previously unknown muse appears – with a palette and brushes. 

Interestingly, Titov's muses almost didn't survive to this day: In 1940, a project to paint the ceiling in the Socialist Realist style, titled ‘Apotheosis of the Arts of the Peoples of the USSR’, was considered. However, due to the outbreak of war, the plan was shelved. As a result, the historic ceiling has undergone several restorations and remains intact to this day.