Orpheus and Eurydice

Art Historical Context

This small bronze relief by Peter Vischer the Younger captures the poignant moment from Greek mythology when Orpheus glances back at his beloved Eurydice, dooming her to remain in the underworld. Created around 1515, the work reflects the early sixteenth-century fascination with classical stories, which Northern European artists reinterpreted through a Renaissance lens while retaining intricate, late-Gothic detail. Cast in bronze and finished with a black lacquer patina that highlights the raised surfaces, the sculpture demonstrates the Vischer family workshop’s mastery of metalwork. The comp...