Orpheus

Originally intended to adorn a garden (in 1777 it was placed in the garden of Villa Falier at Asolo), Orpheus and Eurydice are Canova’s first monumental statues. Here the sculptor was still working in the late Rococo style, as can be seen in the contrasting movements, the way the surfaces are finished to imitate varied materials, and the virtuosity of the details, such as the hand that emerges from the flames to seize Eurydice and drag her back to the Underworld.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 4 minutes):

Jacques Offenbach: Orpheus in the Underworld, overture