Orpheus and the Animals Postcard

This is a reproduction of “Orpheus en de dieren, Orpheus and the Animals” of 1650 by Paulus Potter. This is a masterpiece of the Dutch Baroqoue which recalls Ovid’s description of how Orpheus re-enchanted nature with his wonderful music. Potter’s displays his knowledge of more than the usual farm animals in this familiar genre of the Dutch Baroque. In the middle of the scene, Orpheus strums his lyre. Paulus Potter was born in Enkhuizen but was in Amsterdam by the age of six. By the age of twenty-four Paulus was a member of the Guild of St. Luke and he gained a wide reputation for his depiction of animals. He worked continually but at an early age he died in 1654. This masterpiece is an oil on canvas measuring 67 by 89 centimetres and is in the Rijksmusseum in Amsterdam.