Carl Milles
Cast 1937, Bronze
In Greek mythology, Orpheus was a musician and poet who
could calm wild beasts and coax rocks and trees to dance with the beauty of his
songs. His wife, Eurydice, was killed by the bite of a serpent. Orpheus,
stricken with grief, descended into Underworld in search of her, where his
music charmed Hades, the lord of Underworld. The circle of eight figures in the
Cranbrook version of the fountain could represent shades (or souls) from the
Underworld, or as Milles himself has been quoted as saying, simply “people
listening to music.” The only identifiable figure in the group is that of
Beethoven, who, in his deafness, raises his arms in a gesture of despair
because he cannot hear Orpheus’s music. The original Orpheus Fountain in
Stockholm, Sweden, has a 38-foot figure of Orpheus in the center, which is
omitted from the Cranbrook version.