Plate 100: The death of Orpheus, from 'Ovid's Metamorphoses' 1641

Johann Wilhelm Baur’s etching, *Plate 100: The death of Orpheus, from 'Ovid's Metamorphoses'*, depicts the tragic end of the legendary musician Orpheus. The etching shows Orpheus, seated at the foot of a tree, playing his lyre. A group of frenzied Maenads, followers of the god Dionysus, surround him, their wild, chaotic gestures a stark contrast to Orpheus's calm composure. The scene takes place in a lush landscape, filled with trees and hills, giving a sense of beauty and peace that is disrupted by the violence of the Maenads’ attack. Baur's work is a powerful testament to the power of music and the fragility of beauty. This work was created in 1641 as part of a series of etchings illustrating Ovid’s *Metamorphoses* and is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.