Orpheus and Eurydice
1800/30
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.)
Classification
lithograph
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
39998
Rights
Public Domain
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 ke...