This idyllic, playful composition, which has been considered the allegory of music for a long time, intimates complicated relationships. Nothing seems to indicate, however, that it belongs to one of a series of paintings symbolizing the seven liberal arts. We have no certain data on its original purpose. The video probably shows the MuseErato leading a swan by a golden leash. The swan, an attribute of Apollo, may be associated with Music as well; its symbolic role is based on the fact that it miraculously sang before its death; thus the concept of the swan song.
