Updated 10 April 2025
On Display Permanent collection
Orpheus
| Date | 1908 (model), 1921 (cast) |
|---|---|
| Materials and Techniques | bronze |
| Size（cm） | 146 x 80 x 126 |
| Inscriptions | Signed lower right of base: A. Rodin; Foundry mark back left side of base: Alexis Rudier / Fondeur Paris |
| Credit Line | Matsukata Collection |
| Standard ref. | M1285 |
| Category | Sculptures |
| Collection Number | S.1959-0037 |
Orpheus, a figure who appears in Greek mythology as the son of Apollo and a Nymph, was known for his beautiful lyre playing which charmed the wild beasts, trees and rocks. In despair over the death of his wife Eurydice, Orpheus visited Hades where he appealed to the Gods of Hell for the return of his beloved wife. A striking image of Orpheus lost in deep despair as he plays the lyre can be seen in the flowing form of Rodin's sculpture. Rodin created the original plaster model for this work around 1892, and this first form had a Muse seated on Orpheus' shoulder, but this secondary figure, exhibited at the Salon in 1908, was removed from the bronze. (Source: Masterpieces of the National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, 2009, cat. no. 139)
Provenance
Bought from Musée Rodin by Kojiro Matsukata, Kobe through Léonce Bénédite, ca. July 1921, as ‘Orphée’ (Fr. 25,000) [see several letters between Bénédite and Suzuki & Co., July 1921, in Archives of Musée Rodin, Paris; copy in NMWA curatorial files]; sequestered by French government, 1944; vested in French government under San Francisco Peace Treaty, 1952; transferred from French to Japanese government, 23 January 1959; entered into NMWA, April 1959.
Exhibition History
- 1966
- Rodin, National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, 23 July 1966 - 11 September 1966, cat. no. 80
- 1996
- [Exhibition for Children] “What were the Sculptures Made for?”, Tokyo National Museum, 2 July 1996 - 1 September 1996
Bibliography
- 1990
- The Old Matsukata Collection. Kobe City Museum, ed. Kobe, "Matsukata Korekushon Ten" Jikkoiinkai, 1990, cat. no. S-51.
- 2006
- Masterpieces of The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo. Tokyo, The National Museum of Western Art; Tokyo, The Western Art Foundation, 2006 (Japanese, preface in Japanese and English), no. 139, repr.
- 2009
- Masterpieces of The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo. Tokyo, The National Museum of Western Art; Tokyo, The Western Art Foundation, 2009, no. 139, repr.
- 2013
- Masterpieces: The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo. Tokyo, The Western Art Foundation, 2013 (Japanese, preface in Japanese and English), no. 137, col. repr.
- 2019
- The Matsukata Collection: Complete Catalogue of the European Art. Kawaguchi, Masako; Jingaoka, Megumi, eds. vol. 2: Sculpture, Drawings, Prints and Decorative Arts and Other Works, Tokyo, The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, 2019, cat. no. 1285, col. repr.