In 1892 Collis and Arabella Huntington commissioned Harry Siddons Mowbray to create nine lunette paintings as part of a large decorative scheme for their New York mansion, whose construction began in 1890. Mowbray intended the nine muses to be seen from below and thus placed them near the ceiling of the grand entrance hall. With bright tertiary colors and a matte surface, these painted canvases emulate the look and classical subject matter of Renaissance frescoes. Six of the muses are allegorical figures shown with their traditional attributes. Mowbray invented three new muses: the muse of Painting, with a palette and paintbrush; the muse of Agriculture, with a sickle; and the muse of Science and Electricity, with a light bulb.