Henry Dasson
ORPHEUS Neoclassical White Marble Sculpture 19′ Century
1870

Unique Carrara white marble finely carved sculpture of Orpheus , Mythological personification of the eternal love and art.
Henry Dasson French
1825 – 1896 Orpheus
white marble, on a gilt bronze base 75.5cm., 29 3/4 in. overall
The renowned Parisian maker of gilt-bronze mounted furniture, Henry Dasson, began his career as a bronze sculptor. Occasionally marbles with his signature have appeared on the art market. It is likely that these were made in his workshop at 106, rue Vielle du Temple, which specialised in the production of bronze artifacts and clocks. Dasson’s success was such that he was made a Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur in 1883 and was awarded the Grand Prix Artistique at the Paris 1889 Exposition Universelle.

In the Greek myth Orpheus, son of the muse Calliope and Apollo – or of the king of Thrace, Eagro – is the poet par excellence, the personification of song. With his lyre and his words he manages to seduce men, animals of all species and even trees, stones and the sea. With the strength of his verses he moves, softens, excites, touches the soul and the fibers of those who have the opportunity to listen to him.

Orpheus falls in love with the nymph Eurydice and marries her. Yet the fate of the two lovers was born under a bad star. As Virgil recounts in the Georgics, the shepherd Aristaeus also falls in love with Eurydice, who chases her to make her his own and, as he runs away, Eurydice is fatally bitten by a snake. In the Metamorphoses Ovid chooses to eliminate Aristaeus from the scene: Eurydice is carefree, in the company of a host of nymphs, when she is bitten on the heel by the reptile. As soon as Orpheus hears the news, he mourns his bride and courageously decides to go to the underworld to get her back. He descends to the Styx, overcomes every obstacle thanks to the lyre and presents himself to Persephone and Hades, the lords of the underworld. He sings of his love for Eurydice and asks to be given the chance to continue living with her.

Such is the strength of her love and her song that Persephone, Hades, the dog Cerberus and even the implacable Furies are moved. He is therefore agreed to take Eurydice with him, but on a condition: he will go forward, she will follow him, and Orfeo will never be able to look back, because otherwise Eurydice will return forever to the shadows of the dead. In the name of passion, the poet therefore challenged the limits of the human being, with his verses he defeated death and the consequent oblivion.

The last look: It seems. Indeed, while the two lovers have almost reached the light as they ascend, Orpheus cannot resist the temptation and turns around to check that his beloved is really with him. In the space of a moment Eurydice disappears forever into the abyss. Destroyed and petrified, Orpheus can no longer find peace and wanders the earth, sublimating in song a past that can never return. Continue to excite, yes, but reject the life and love of other women; for this reason the Maenads – or Bacchantes – take their revenge on him, who was also linked to Dionysus, and tear him to pieces by throwing his remains into the Ebro river. Everyone mourns him, birds, trees, stones, but Orpheus will be able to embrace his Eurydice again.
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Creator: Henry Dasson (1825 – 1896, French)
Creation Year: 1870
Dimensions: Height: 29.93 in (76 cm)Diameter: 20.48 in (52 cm)
Medium: Marble
Movement & Style: Academic
Period: 19th Century
Condition: Excellent
Gallery Location: Rome, IT