Orpheus playing to the animals
Relief
second quarter of the seventeenth century (made)
second quarter of the seventeenth century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This relief has been identified as the work of Francesco Fanelli, a Florentine who worked for a time in London as a sculptor to King Charles I. The relief appears to have been designed for mounting on the central door of a cabinet. Another version of this relief is mounted on the inside of the door of the Florentine mid- 17th century cabinet which was made for the diarist John Evelyn, which is also in the museum collections.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Title | Orpheus playing to the animals |
| Materials and techniques | Bronze |
| Brief description | Relief, bronze, Orpheus playing to the animals, by Francesco Finelli (Anglo-Florentine), about 1635-40 |
| Physical description | Relief, bronze. The relief shows Orpheus playing a lyre and singing, standing before trees and surrounded by birds and animals |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Purchased with funds from the John Webb Trust and the bequest of Captain H B Murray. |
| Object history | Purchased with funds from the Webb and Murray bequests. |
| Historical context | This relief was possibly in the collection of Charles Jenners, Ormond St (cf. Dodsley 1761). Francesco Fanelli, although described as Florentine, is first documented as working in Genoa in 1609/10 and again in 1620 and 1627. He came to England shortly afterwards, possibly in 1631and was working for Charles I by 1635. In 1640 he described himself as 'Sculptor to the King of Great Britain', presumably an officially conferred title. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | This relief has been identified as the work of Francesco Fanelli, a Florentine who worked for a time in London as a sculptor to King Charles I. The relief appears to have been designed for mounting on the central door of a cabinet. Another version of this relief is mounted on the inside of the door of the Florentine mid- 17th century cabinet which was made for the diarist John Evelyn, which is also in the museum collections. |
| Associated object | |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | A.4-1975 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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