User:Johnbod/Orpheus

Orpheus Charming the Animals, also known by other names, has been a subject in art for over 2,000 years, and literary mentions go back still further. The legendary ancient Greek hero Orpheus was a poet and musician, playing the lyre. The effect of his playing was such that animals and birds were said to gather round to listen to him, in a state of peace between species that would normally fight or predate each other.

The composition in the visual arts is simple and extremely consistent. Orpheus sits more or less in the centre, surrounded on all sides by a variety of animals and birds, typically only one or two from each species. Usually no other humans are present; Orpheus playing for Bacchantes and other humans is a different and less common subject.

History
Though literary mentions go back at least to the 5th century BC

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 * Getty, "The theme of Orpheus charming the animals was one of the most popular among artists living in Northern Europe in the 1500s and 1600s. During this era of intense political upheaval and religious strife, the story came to express the hope in the power of art and poetry to conquer, and even resolve, irreconcilable conflict."
 * Cuyp, Boston
 * Peaceable Kingdom
 * imposed peace
 * BM Flor Florentine Picture-Chronicle