Musa Erato, Hirschsprung, 2020

In Greek mythology, the nymph Erato ('the loving, the lovely) is one of the nine muses, the patron gods of the arts. As mythological beings, they spur people on to creative achievements as a source of ingenious inspiration. Their origin is the ancient idea that ideas (thinking) do not develop by themselves, but are inspired by gods (or muses) from outside. In modern times muses as companions of artists inspire by their character, their charisma, their human attention or by an erotic relationship.