Oil on panel. Northern European school of the 18th century.
The horizontally developed scene proposes the myth of Orpheus, son of Apollo, who received a lyre from his father with which he tamed ferocious animals, moved rocks and bent trees. The story is known through Virgil's Georgics and Ovid's Metamorphoses: a symbol of the civilizing power of art, it is a popular subject in European art.
Orpheus is represented in the centre, sitting on a rock among the trees, while playing the lyre: on the sides we see numerous animals of different breeds heading towards him, coming from naturalistic environments near and far, including exotic animals (an elf, some lions, a llama...) and, on the right margin, a fantastic animal, the unicorn.
In the background a waterway with a city on the bank; on the left on the hill a small temple probably dedicated to the god Apollo.
The painting has previously undergone restoration.
It is presented in a stylish gilt frame.
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PLATINUM Seller in Milano, Italy
