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Source Description
In Greek mythology, Orpheus was a singer and poet. He was given a lyre by Apollo, the god of music, and was taught to play by the Muses. His songs, melodiously accompanied by his instrument, were so beautiful that they pacified wild animals, calmed the seas, and animated trees and rocks. Here, a subdued bear is depicted in close proximity to a dog, and stones have gathered at the musician’s feet. The instrument depicted here is a lira da braccio, an instrument played by Leonardo da Vinci at the time when this engraving was made.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
112103
label
Orpheus Charming the Animals
core
obj
dtoType
print
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
112103
contentType
print
title
Orpheus Charming the Animals
description
In Greek mythology, Orpheus was a singer and poet. He was given a lyre by Apollo, the god of music, and was taught to play by the Muses. His songs, melodiously accompanied by his instrument, were so beautiful that they pacified wild animals, calmed the seas, and animated trees and rocks. Here, a subdued bear is depicted in close proximity to a dog, and stones have gathered at the musician’s feet. The instrument depicted here is a lira da braccio, an instrument played by Leonardo da Vinci at the time when this engraving was made.
date
c. 1505
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q80004658
creators
4579
genreSpecific
Print
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Plate: 21.4 x 17.3 cm (8 7/16 x 6 13/16 in.)
cul
Italy, 16th century
accession
1930.579
Source extras
tec
engraving
tombstone
Orpheus Charming the Animals, c. 1505. Marcantonio Raimondi (Italian, 1470/82–1527/34). Engraving; plate: 21.4 x 17.3 cm (8 7/16 x 6 13/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Dudley P. Allen Fund, 1930.579
collection
PR - Engraving
citations
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook.</em> Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958.
page_number
Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 624
citation
Duffin, Ross W. "Leonardo's Lira: A music historian spots a depiction of the great Renaissance master--and musical virtuoso--in a museum engraving.” <em>Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine</em> 55, no. 3 (May/June 2015): 10-12.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 10; Mentioned p. 10-11
citation
Lexa, Olivier. <em>Léonard de Vinci: l'Invention de l'Opéra.</em> Paris : Les éditions du Cerf, 2019.
page_number
Reproduced: Pl. 13, fig. 25; Mentioned: P. 337, no. 25
citation
Vasari, Giorgio, Martin Kemp, and Lucy Emma Victoria Russell. The Life of Leonardo Da Vinci. 2019, 37.
page_number
Mentioned: p. 123; reproduced: p. 37, fig. 9.
citation
Henry, Chriscinda. Playful Pictures: Art, Leisure, and Entertainment in the Venetian Renaissance Home. 2021, 74.
page_number
Mentioned: p. 72; reproduced: p. 74, fig. 24.
catalogueRaisonne
Delaborde 175.131 ; Bartsch XIV 236.314 ; Passavant VI.30.191
creditline
Dudley P. Allen Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 05:55:40.503000
sourceId
112103
dept
Prints
coll
PR - Engraving
med
engraving
creatorTags
male
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
e17756bee9831e32