AN EXAMINATION OF EDWARD POYNTERS PAINTING, ORPHEUS AND

EURYDICE

A. D. M.
ARS 394: Greek Myth in Western Art
March 20, 2017
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Edward Poynters painting of Orpheus and Eurydice was

produced in 1862, and is an excellent example of a painting that
portrays a less popular moment of the myth.
In Ovids telling of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, the story
begins directly after Eurydice is bitten and killed by a serpent, leaving
Orpheus alone and mourning. He makes his way down into Hades and
plays a song on his lyre pleading to Pluto and Persephone to return
Eurydice to him. He argues in his song that Eurydice was too young to
have died so soon, and their love too young to be cut short. His song is
so beautiful that everyone in Hades is moved to tears and Eurydice is
returned to him under the condition that until they were both back in
the upper world, Orpheus cannot look back at Eurydice or she must
remain in the underworld. Unfortunately, after not being able to hear
or see if she is there, Orpheus cannot help but look back at Eurydice.
She is swept back to the underworld leaving Orpheus again alone and
distraught for he knows he cannot ask for her again.1
When looking at the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice portrayed in
western art, the most popular moment to illustrate for most artists is
the moment when Eurydice is taken from Orpheus at the mouth of the
underworld. It is a scene that offers high drama and the potential for
the artist to show their ability to convey the movement and tension of
Eurydice being torn from Orpheus arms. Another popular point in the
myth seems to be the moment when Orpheus and Eurydice begin their
journey out of hell and are leaving the throne room of Pluto and
Persephone.
Poynter chose to illustrate a scene set between these two
events, showing Orpheus and Eurydice in the middle of their journey,
which seems an odd choice to focus on (see figure 1). Because Poynter
was classically well educated, he may have chosen a less dramatically
involved point in the myth so that he might focus more on subtler
symbolism. 2
The painting shows Orpheus and Eurydice trekking up hill
through a dark and desolate mountain pass. They are passing from left
to right through the framing and from their stances and by the way
their clothes billow about them, they are clearly fighting very strong
winds while serpents are menacingly at their heels. Orpheus leads
Eurydice while carrying a very large and ornate lyre, which has one red
string towards the middle (see figure 2). Eurydice wears white with a
green sash, and she too has a red string that seems cut and attached

1 Ovid. Metamorphoses. Translated by A. D. Melville. Oxford, NY: Oxford

Worlds Classics, 1986. Book X (PP. 225- 228)

2 Dafforne, John. "The Works of Edward J. Poynter, R.A." The Art Journal
(1875-1887), New Series, 3 (1877): 49-51. doi:10.2307/20569021.
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to her waist (see figure 3). These red strings could represent the string
of life that is woven by the fates; Orpheus being alive and well is
shown with his string still taught and in tact. Eurydices string seems
cut, loose and blowing in the wind, showing that she is past, her life is
cut short and will remain that way.
The scenery is rather reminiscent of Gustave Dores illustration
plate number 14 of Dantes Inferno (see figure 4), that portrays when
Dante and Virgil are in the second circle of hell and witness the carnal
sinners lost in dark torrential winds for all eternity. 3 In both pieces the
wind powerfully rushes through a mountainous region of stark and
jagged peaks. This could be deliberate to show that despite the
hurricane winds meant to torture lustful sinners whipping at their
clothes, they are able to make their way through the second circle
because their love is pure and righteous. This could be Poynters
reason for choosing a seemingly odd moment in the myth. This point
could possibly be further reinforced by the appearance of Eurydice.
With her white robes and her sash billowing out behind her, she almost
appears as though she has wings, giving her the look of an angel.
While the snakes that seemingly bite at their heels are an obvious
allusion to the means of Eurydices death, their direction of travel
seems as though it could possibly be significant. When one looks at
other paintings portraying Orpheus and Eurydice, they are often going
from left to right, as can also be seen in Eurydice hurried back to the
infernal regions by Henry Thomson (see figure 5) and in Orpheus and
Eurydice by Jean Raoux (see figure 6). As one would read a book from
left to right, the story progresses across the canvas from left to right
until of Eurydice is pulled backwards to the under world, leaving
Orpheus back where he started, a young widower who lost his love too
soon.

3 Dante. Inferno. Translated by Henry Francis Cary. New York, NY:

Paddington Press LTD, 1976. Canto V (PP. 23- 28)
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Bibliography:

Ovid. Metamorphoses. Translated by A. D. Melville. Oxford, NY: Oxford

Worlds Classics, 1986. Book X (PP. 225- 228)

Dante. Inferno. Translated by Henry Francis Cary. New York, NY:

Paddington Press LTD, 1976. Canto V (PP. 23- 28)

Dafforne, John. "The Works of Edward J. Poynter, R.A." The Art Journal
(1875-1887), New Series, 3 (1877): 49-51. doi:10.2307/20569021.
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Figure 1
Orpheus and Eurydice
Edward Poynter
1862
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Figure 2
Orpheus and Eurydice detail of Orpheus
Edward Poynter
1862
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Figure 3
Orpheus and Eurydice detail of Eurydice
Edward Poynter
1862
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Figure 4
Inferno Plate 14, The souls of the lustful in the infernal hurricane
Gustave Dore
1857
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Figure 5
Eurydice hurried back to the infernal regions
Henry Thomson
1814
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Figure 6
Orpheus and Eurydice
Jean Raoux
1709