Orpheus, the greatest musician of Greek mythology stands before you. He is immortalized in bronze in the Orpheusgruppen sculpture. Carl Milles created this masterpiece. The Orpheusgruppen sculpture stands proudly outside the Stockholm Concert Hall.
The Orpheusgruppen depicts Orpheus’s journey to Hades. He is pleading for his wife Eurydice’s return from the land of the dead.
Notice Orpheus in the center. He is surrounded by eight figures male and female. These figures represent the power of music. They represent the charm that Orpheus has.
One of the male figures bears a striking resemblance to Beethoven. Carl Milles saw Beethoven as a symbol. Beethoven was a symbol of artistic genius. He was also a symbol of suffering.
Orpheus’s music could charm all living things even stones. Stories tell of his attempt to bring Eurydice back. He tried to rescue her from the land of the dead.
Carl Milles was a renowned Swedish sculptor born in Lagga. He also created the Poseidon statue in Gothenburg. Milles also sculpted the Gustaf Vasa statue. You can find it at the Nordiska museet. In Linköping stands his Folke Filbyter sculpture.
Millesgärden was Carl Milles’s last home. Today it is a museum dedicated to his life and work.
The Orpheus fountain was inaugurated in 1936. The Concert Hall and square needed a classical touch. Milles’s proposal fit perfectly.
The Orpheusgruppen is a powerful expression. It shows balanced strength in body spirit and aesthetics. In Greek mythology Orpheus is the god of song and music. He is the son of Apollo. The lyre is his identifying attribute.
In the Orpheus Fountain the central figure is surrounded by eight muses. The muses are all listening. They listen to the playing of the lyre.
Carl Milles deeply valued music. He especially loved Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Some see the Orpheus group as equivalent to Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.
Milles studied at the Technical School in Stockholm. He then went to the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. There he studied under Auguste Rodin. He also traveled to Germany the Netherlands and Belgium. In Paris he worked as an ornament carver. He studied animals and was influenced by Rodin.
Milles gained recognition with a monument to Sten Sture in Uppsala. He exhibited at the World’s Fair in 1900. Later he had a solo exhibition at the Tate Gallery in London. Milles was a professor at the Royal Academy of Arts in Stockholm.
The Orpheus Group reflects the enduring appeal. It shows classical mythology and the universal language. This language is the language of music and art. It is a landmark in Stockholm.