Orpheus charming the animals

A seated robed figure with a lyre sits beneath a leafy tree on a gray ground, surrounded by lions, an elephant, a unicorn, monkeys, deer, a peacock and a wild boar. The animals are worked in silk and metal thread with a pale, looping stitch. The scene echoes the classical story of Orpheus charming the beasts with music.

Look closer: A small snail and butterflies are stitched among the leaves and grass at the edges.

Artist

Unknown

Date

early 17th century

Medium

Silk and metal thread on canvas

Source

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Size

4000 × 3267 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rogers Fund, 1910