United States, Ohio, Cleveland / c. 1880
Self-Portrait with Five Muses
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Self-Portrait with Five Muses as painting (United States, Ohio, Cleveland · c. 1880).
Church "spoke" at his funeral via an Edison phonograph recording he made for the occasion.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this painting as oil on paper mounted to board and credits Henry Church (American, 1836–1908).
The museum's collection notes: Lifelong Chagrin Falls resident Church is considered one of the great self-taught artists of 19th-century America. A painter, sculptor, and musician by passion, he offered his appearance and enthusiasms in this highly imaginative self-portrait, surrounding himself with a squadron of miniature winged muses. These figures represent not only the traditional arts of painting, sculpture, and music, but also Church's profession of blacksmithing (identified as a crowned figure holding a hammer and anvil). A savvy entrepreneur, Church launched the first commercial art gallery in northeast Ohio: Church's Art Museum, at Geauga Lake, in 1888. Its invent
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtSelf-Portrait with Five MusesOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.