Thalia, Muse of Comedy, plate 14 from Parnassus Biceps

In Greek mythology, the nine Muses governed the arts and music. Melpomene, in the print on the left (see 1920.2037), was the protector of tragedy; her counterpart Thalia, Muse of comedy and bucolic poetry, is visible on the right. Each Muse holds a mask—a tragic mask for Melpomene, a comic one for Thalia. Behind Thalia, a pedestal is piled with other comic masks. The duality of tragedy and comedy as manifested in these two deities brings to mind the universally recognizable image of the laughing and weeping faces used to symbolize theater today.