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Orpheus and Eurydice

A work made of lithograph on cream wove paper.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of lithograph on cream wove paper.

Date:

1800/30

Artist:

Louis Hersent
French, 1777-1860

About this artwork

Louis Hersent was best known for his portrayals of the upper class, as well as occasional Classical subjects. While later states of this print include the title Ruben and Bala, referring to the Old Testament figure Ruben’s seduction of his father’s significantly older concubine, the scene is more mythological than biblical. The lyre suggests that the lithograph should be interpreted as an image of the young love of Orpheus, son of Apollo, and his muse, Eurydice, whose affectionate playfulness keeps him from practicing his music. Later, refusing to accept Eurydice’s tragic death, he played in vain for her soul to be released from Hades.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Louis Hersent

Title

Orpheus and Eurydice

Place

France (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1800–1830

Medium

Lithograph on cream wove paper

Dimensions

Image: 22.5 × 18.2 cm (8 7/8 × 7 3/16 in.); Sheet: 31.5 × 25.7 cm (12 7/16 × 10 1/8 in.)

Credit Line

John H. Wrenn Memorial Collection

Reference Number

1940.1208

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/39998/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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