Mythology is the body of traditional stories of gods, heroes, monsters and the origins of the world told by a particular culture. In the decorative arts and fine art, the term refers above all to the subjects drawn from the myths of ancient Greece and Rome, which have provided artists and craftsmen with an inexhaustible source of imagery for more than two thousand years.
From the Renaissance onwards, painters, sculptors and designers revived classical myths as subjects that combined beauty, drama and moral meaning, often relying on Ovid's Metamorphoses as a source. Venus and Cupid, Apollo, Diana the huntress, Bacchus, Hercules, Mercury and the Muses appear on paintings, bronzes, tapestries, porcelain, clocks, chimneypieces and silver. The Neoclassical period of the late eighteenth century brought a fresh wave of mythological figures in marble, bronze and Wedgwood jasperware, and Victorian painters and sculptors continued the tradition. Norse, Egyptian and Celtic mythology also inspired revival styles. Recognising the attributes of each figure, such as Mercury's winged helmet or Diana's crescent moon, helps identify subjects and date pieces. Mythological themes lend narrative and cultivated charm to an interior and remain central to the classical country house aesthetic.
