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Orpheus and Cerberus

Ferdinand Dietzc. 1765

The Cleveland Museum of Art

The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States

This work was one of numerous sculptures Tietz created for the gardens of Schloss Seehof, near Bamberg in Bavaria (Germany), the summer residence of the Prince Bishops of Bamberg. The exaggerated forms of Orpheus's face and musculature caricature the idealized proportions of classical sculpture. A further parody exists with his companion: the usually terrifying hound Cerberus is here nothing more than a docile puppy, sitting calmly at Orpheus's feet. Meant to be viewed outdoors, on a high pedestal and from a distance, this work is less finely detailed than sculptures Tietz made for indoor settings at Seehof.

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  • Title: Orpheus and Cerberus
  • Creator: Ferdinand Tietz (Austrian, 1708-1777)
  • Date Created: c. 1765
  • Physical Dimensions: with base: 304.8 cm (120 in.); Base: 38.1 x 102.9 x 102.9 cm (15 x 40 1/2 x 40 1/2 in.); without base: 182.9 x 106.7 x 61 cm (72 x 42 x 24 in.); Pedestal: 89.5 x 88.9 x 88.9 cm (35 1/4 x 35 x 35 in.)
  • Provenance: commissioned by Adam Friedrich von Seins­heim (1708–1779), Prince Bishop of Bamberg, Garden of Schloss Seehof, near Bamberg (Germany), (Dr. Kurt Rossacher, Salzburg, by whom sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
  • Type: Sculpture
  • Rights: CC0
  • External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1971.65
  • Medium: sandstone
  • Fun Fact: Taught to play the lyre by the Greek god Apollo, Orpheus's legendary musical abilities had the power to charm animals.
  • Department: European Painting and Sculpture
  • Culture: Germany, near Bamberg, 18th century
  • Credit Line: John L. Severance Fund
  • Collection: Sculpture
  • Accession Number: 1971.65
The Cleveland Museum of Art

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