In 1854, Giuseppe Mancinelli (1813-1875) was commissioned to paint a new stage curtain for the Teatro San Carlo in Naples. The artist, a highly regarded court painter, created a monumental work that celebrates Italy's musical and artistic tradition. Mancinelli's depiction, titled "Homer and the Muses Among the Poets," is grounded in a revival of Italian classicism, particularly the restrained style of Raphael. Raphael's ideal of composed physicality, natural harmony, and compositional order was pursued in the 19th century by artists of various persuasions, both in Italy and Europe. Mancinelli revived the Raphael of the Stanze, without excluding its influences, within a personal Romantic vision that underpinned his entire pictorial production, whose ultimate goal was decidedly the pursuit of "visible beauty." During that period, he undoubtedly met Giuseppe Verdi and received this precious relic from him. Verdi's musical quotations are rare and sought-after on the international market, especially if they are from his most famous operas, as in this case.