Orpheus

Orpheus, a figure who appears in Greek mythology as the son of Apollo and a Nymph, was known for his beautiful lyre playing which charmed the wild beasts, trees and rocks. In despair over the death of his wife Eurydice, Orpheus visited Hades where he appealed to the Gods of Hell for the return of his beloved wife. A striking image of Orpheus lost in deep despair as he plays the lyre can be seen in the flowing form of Rodin's sculpture. Rodin created the original plaster model for this work around 1892, and this first form had a Muse seated on Orpheus' shoulder, but this secondary figure, exhibited at the Salon in 1908, was removed from the bronze. (Source: Masterpieces of the National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, 2009, cat. no. 139)