The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 20, 2024

Orpheus Charming the Animals

Orpheus Charming the Animals

c. 1505
(Italian, 1470/82–1527/34)
Italy, 16th century
engraving
Plate: 21.4 x 17.3 cm (8 7/16 x 6 13/16 in.)
Dudley P. Allen Fund 1930.579
Catalogue raisonné: Delaborde 175.131 ; Bartsch XIV 236.314 ; Passavant VI.30.191
Location: not on view

Description

In Greek mythology, Orpheus was a singer and poet. He was given a lyre by Apollo, the god of music, and was taught to play by the Muses. His songs, melodiously accompanied by his instrument, were so beautiful that they pacified wild animals, calmed the seas, and animated trees and rocks. Here, a subdued bear is depicted in close proximity to a dog, and stones have gathered at the musician’s feet. The instrument depicted here is a lira da braccio, an instrument played by Leonardo da Vinci at the time when this engraving was made.
  • The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 624 archive.org
    Lexa, Olivier. Léonard de Vinci: l'Invention de l'Opéra. Paris : Les éditions du Cerf, 2019. Reproduced: Pl. 13, fig. 25; Mentioned: P. 337, no. 25
    Vasari, Giorgio, Martin Kemp, and Lucy Emma Victoria Russell. The Life of Leonardo Da Vinci. 2019, 37. Mentioned: p. 123; reproduced: p. 37, fig. 9.
    Henry, Chriscinda. Playful Pictures: Art, Leisure, and Entertainment in the Venetian Renaissance Home. 2021, 74. Mentioned: p. 72; reproduced: p. 74, fig. 24.
  • Themes and Variations: Musical Drawings and Prints. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 25-May 17, 2015).
    Real Prints: Reproduction or Invention. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 7-May 17, 1987).
    Eight Masters of the Print. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (October 14, 1980-January 18, 1981).
    Prints and Drawings from the Cleveland Museum of Art Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 6-September 9, 1965).
    Youthful Works by Great Artists. Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (organizer) (March 10-30, 1963).
    Department of Prints and Drawings Opening Exhibition. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (March 3, 1958-October 11, 1959).
    Prints 1400-1800. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (December 18, 1956-January 20, 1957); The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL (February 1-March 3, 1957); Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, MN (November 1-December 1, 1957).
  • {{cite web|title=Orpheus Charming the Animals|url=false|author=Marcantonio Raimondi|year=c. 1505|access-date=20 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1930.579