Orpheus (Moreau)
1865 · Oil on canvas · Musée d'Orsay, Paris
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About this work
- Artist
- Gustave Moreau (1826–1898)
- Year
- 1865
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Original size
- 154 × 99.5 cm
- Collection
- Musée d'Orsay, Paris
- Movement
- Symbolism
A young woman in a long embroidered dress stands in a rocky twilight landscape, gazing down at the head of Orpheus, which rests on his lyre in her hands; both faces have closed or lowered eyes. Musicians play on a crag at upper left, two tortoises crawl at lower right, and a golden evening sky opens over a distant river. In the myth the poet was torn apart by the Maenads, and the tortoise shell is said to have made the first lyre. Moreau showed the painting at the Salon of 1866 and it was bought that year. It now hangs in the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.
This print reproduces the whole work, uncropped, from a high-resolution scan of the original. The original is in the public domain.
Where it works
Muted olive, slate blue and a pale gold sky make a quiet, melancholy picture for a study, reading room or hallway. Hang it with Millais's Ophelia at 16×24 in a dark wood frame.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Symbolism painting
- Era
- 19th century (1865)
- Orientation
- Portrait
- Mood
- grand
- Rooms
- hallway or entryway, study or library, living room, dining room
- Good gift for
- housewarming, art lovers
Size. We'd hang this one at 16×24. Prints at 12×18, 16×24 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway.
Framing. The gallery ground is part of the print, so frame it without a mat — black suits the deep tones of this period; dark wood warms it.
Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).
Details & materials
Shipping & returns
Is this the whole painting, or a crop?
Is Orpheus in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was Orpheus painted, and in what medium?
What size works above a sofa or bed?
About this design
The Madten promise
An exhibition poster
The same artwork as a gallery exhibition poster — title, artist & date typeset beneath the image on a soft ground.



























