Jean RaouxFrench, 1677–1734Orpheus and Eurydice
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Not receiving at present
J. Paul Getty Museum
Los Angeles, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the painting
In the center of the picture, Orpheus leads his wife, Eurydice, out of Hades after having won her release by his enchanting violin playing. Pluto, ruler of Hades, and his wife Proserpine observe their departure from the upper left. The three Fates ominously spin the future at the left, foreshadowing Orpheus's eventual downfall. He broke the one condition that Proserpine had set for Eurydice's return to earth: he could not look at her until they had lef the netherworld. On reaching earthly light, Orpheus could not resist a glimpse, and Eurydice vanished forever. Jean Raoux painted the scene in a highly theatrical manner, spotlighting the figures and arranging them as if on a stage. The action seems especially compressed because the canvas was cut down on all sides early in the twentieth century.
J. Paul Getty Museum
Particulars
- Accession number
- 73.PA.153
In the catalog
Sources
- J. Paul Getty Museum
- Image: J. Paul Getty Museum — Open Content
