Orpheus Charming the Beast

This is an oil painting by Sinibaldo Scorza entitled Orpheus Charming the Beast. It is dated around the year 1615 and depicts a young boy in nature playing his violin to an audience of all animals. A deer, wolf, bear, cat, monkey, turkey, puma, sheep, rabbit, cow, horse, duck and peacock are all in attendance with an elephant in the distance, that seems to be on its way to the gathering. Where the viewer is situated, it's almost as if we are seated in the performance, alongside the bear, who has acknowledge our presence. The young man is in a relaxed pose as he plays his instrument, which suggests that he finds comfort in the presence of nature. In this scene man, nature and animals are in just as much harmony as the imagined notes coming from the violin. This collection of beasts, human and otherwise, are not group that you could typically find all in the same place anywhere in nature, be it due to climate, region, wild or domestic nature, or predator-prey relationships.

What this work shows is that despite these boundaries, man, animal and nature can find common ground, literally. In this case that common ground is music. As the old adage goes, “music soothes the savage beast.” In some instances, especially those explored in our class, it is hard to distinguish which party is really the “savage” one, humans or animals. The animals in the painting are juxtaposed in a manner to suggest that they all are showing somewhat of a respect and reverence for one another. Warm blues, greens and browns suggest that the tone of the painting is soft and calm. Fear, hatred, and malicious intent are absent, as they have been replaced by trust, respect and community. Overall the viewer is left with a feeling of serenity and gratitude for having witnessed such a display.