Fine Art Poster
From $29
A giclée print on 200gsm matte fine art paper, using a twelve-colour process for accurate, fade-resistant colour. Supplied unframed, delivered flat or rolled.
Orpheus - Gustave Moreau
Regular price
$29.00 USD
Sale price
$29.00 USD
Regular price
Archival giclée
Frames arrive ready to hang
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Made to order
Description
Gustave Moreau's 1865 Symbolist masterpiece depicts a young woman cradling the severed head of Orpheus, resting upon his lyre.
Gustave Moreau painted Orpheus in 1865, a work that captures a moment from Greek mythology following the death of the poet at the hands of the Maenads. The composition features a young woman, often identified as a Thracian girl, who has recovered the severed head of Orpheus. She cradles the head, which rests upon his lyre, with a gentle, melancholic expression. The scene is set against a rocky, desolate backdrop that suggests a remote wilderness, while the distant horizon hints at a fading light.
Moreau employs a meticulous technique, focusing on the textures of the fabrics and the decorative elements of the clothing. The woman wears garments adorned with patterns, reflecting the artist's interest in exotic and historical costume. The inclusion of two tortoises at the bottom right corner serves as a subtle reference to the myth of Hermes, who created the first lyre from a tortoise shell. This detail links the instrument to its divine origins.
The painting is characteristic of Moreau's approach to mythological subjects. He avoids direct narrative action, preferring to present a static, dreamlike encounter. The lighting is soft, creating a sense of quietude that contrasts with the violent nature of the underlying myth. The palette consists of muted earth tones, ochres, and deep greens, which contribute to the sombre atmosphere of the piece. Moreau's work is noted for its attention to detail and its departure from the realism prevalent in the mid-nineteenth century, moving instead toward the imaginative and subjective qualities that define the Symbolist movement. This print captures the fine brushwork and the layered composition of the original panel, preserving the atmospheric quality of the scene.
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Because every print is made to order, we don't offer change-of-mind returns, refunds or exchanges. If your order arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, we'll replace it free of charge — just contact us within 48 hours of delivery. See our refunds page for full details.
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We ship worldwide, printing at the production hub nearest to your delivery address. Delivery times and costs vary by destination — you'll see the options available to you at checkout.
Manufacturing
Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
Care and materials
Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
Complete The Look
Orpheus - Gustave Moreau
Regular price
From $29.00 USD
Sale price
From $29.00 USD
Regular price
Fine Art Poster / A4 (21x29.7 cm) / -
Artist Biography
Gustave Moreau
Moreau produced over fifteen thousand works and converted his own house into a museum to hold them. When he died in 1898, the building at 14 rue de la Rochefoucauld in Paris became the Musee Gustave Moreau, exactly as he had planned. Eight thousand paintings, watercolours and drawings hung floor to ceiling in the rooms where he had lived and worked.
He was born in Paris in 1826, a sickly, solitary child who drew compulsively. He trained at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and fell under the influence of Theodore Chasseriau, an eclectic painter whose depictions of enigmatic sea goddesses left a permanent mark. Chasseriau's death in 1856 shook Moreau badly enough to send him to Italy for two years, where he copied Mantegna, Carpaccio and the Venetians, filling notebooks with studies that fed his work for decades.
His breakthrough came at the 1864 Salon with Oedipus and the Sphinx, a painting that fused classical mythology with a strange, jewelled intensity that critics struggled to categorise. He became the foremost Symbolist painter, working in a style guided by what has been called Neo-Platonist faith: a belief that the physical world was imperfect and that art could capture something closer to divine vision. He never married, regarding the career of an artist as "a true priesthood", though he maintained a discreet relationship with Alexandrine Dureux for decades, subsidising an apartment for her near his family home.
As a teacher at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Moreau proved unexpectedly open-minded. His students included Henri Matisse and Georges Rouault, both of whom credited his insistence on personal expression over academic formula. Andre Breton and Salvador Dali later claimed his Symbolist imagery as a direct precursor to Surrealism.
He was born in Paris in 1826, a sickly, solitary child who drew compulsively. He trained at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and fell under the influence of Theodore Chasseriau, an eclectic painter whose depictions of enigmatic sea goddesses left a permanent mark. Chasseriau's death in 1856 shook Moreau badly enough to send him to Italy for two years, where he copied Mantegna, Carpaccio and the Venetians, filling notebooks with studies that fed his work for decades.
His breakthrough came at the 1864 Salon with Oedipus and the Sphinx, a painting that fused classical mythology with a strange, jewelled intensity that critics struggled to categorise. He became the foremost Symbolist painter, working in a style guided by what has been called Neo-Platonist faith: a belief that the physical world was imperfect and that art could capture something closer to divine vision. He never married, regarding the career of an artist as "a true priesthood", though he maintained a discreet relationship with Alexandrine Dureux for decades, subsidising an apartment for her near his family home.
As a teacher at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Moreau proved unexpectedly open-minded. His students included Henri Matisse and Georges Rouault, both of whom credited his insistence on personal expression over academic formula. Andre Breton and Salvador Dali later claimed his Symbolist imagery as a direct precursor to Surrealism.
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Fine Art Framed
From $89
The same fine art print in a solid wood frame with UV-protective acrylic glaze and rigid backing. Five frame colours. Arrives ready to hang.
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