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| Orpheus, Charles Niehaus. 1922 |
A colossal bronze sculpture of Orpheus standing on top of a marble base is located on the grounds of historic Fort McHenry adjacent to Baltimore’s harbor. This classical nude figure with a lyre in hand is derived from ancient Greek mythology, since the musician Orpheus was believed to enchant wild animals in the forest with his songs.
The sculpture by Niehaus serves as an allegory for American history during the War of 1812 against England. The twenty-four foot high figure was commissioned to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the defense of Baltimore. Through the allegorical figure of Orpheus, Niehaus paid tribute to American songwriter – Francis Scott Key, who wrote the lyrics to the U.S. National Anthem while on board a British ship in the harbor. Key was actually an attorney who was part of a team negotiating the release of an American prisoner. Francis Scott Key witnessed the bombardment of Fort McHenry while he was on board the British ship. His poetic lyrics, entitled The Star Spangled Banner, were aligned to a popular tune by John Stafford Smith, and officially adopted by Congress as the National Anthem in 1931. The marble base that supports Orpheus is carved with low relief figures that include allegorical personifications of the U.S. Army and Navy. These figures are represented as musicians.
The sculptor Charles Henry Niehaus (1855-1935) was born in Ohio and began his studies at the McMicken School of Design in Cincinnati. He continued formal study at the Royal Academy in Munich, Germany and later moved to Rome where he refined his preference for classical aesthetics. One of his earliest commissions was a full-length, naturalistic sculpture of President James Abram Garfield for the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol. Niehaus’s career accelerated when he established a studio in New York. He was also elected to the National Academy of Design. Three of his sculptures are in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
References:
Charles H. Niehaus. Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery.
http://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artist/?id=3549
(accessed October 29, 2013).
James Abram Garfield. U.S. Government Printing Office.
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/GPO-CDOC-107sdoc11/pdf/GPOCDOC-
107sdoc11-2-47.pdf (accessed October 29, 2013).
Orpheus, plaque. Fort McHenry. National Park Service, 2010.
Moncrieff, A.R. Hope. A Treasury of Classical Mythology.
New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1992.
Proske, Beatrice Gilman. Brookgreen Gardens Sculpture. South Carolina:
Brookgreen Gardens, 1968.
The sculpture by Niehaus serves as an allegory for American history during the War of 1812 against England. The twenty-four foot high figure was commissioned to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the defense of Baltimore. Through the allegorical figure of Orpheus, Niehaus paid tribute to American songwriter – Francis Scott Key, who wrote the lyrics to the U.S. National Anthem while on board a British ship in the harbor. Key was actually an attorney who was part of a team negotiating the release of an American prisoner. Francis Scott Key witnessed the bombardment of Fort McHenry while he was on board the British ship. His poetic lyrics, entitled The Star Spangled Banner, were aligned to a popular tune by John Stafford Smith, and officially adopted by Congress as the National Anthem in 1931. The marble base that supports Orpheus is carved with low relief figures that include allegorical personifications of the U.S. Army and Navy. These figures are represented as musicians.
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| Orpheus, "Army" detail of marble base |
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| Orpheus, "Navy" detail of marble base |
References:
Charles H. Niehaus. Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery.
http://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artist/?id=3549
(accessed October 29, 2013).
James Abram Garfield. U.S. Government Printing Office.
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/GPO-CDOC-107sdoc11/pdf/GPOCDOC-
107sdoc11-2-47.pdf (accessed October 29, 2013).
Orpheus, plaque. Fort McHenry. National Park Service, 2010.
Moncrieff, A.R. Hope. A Treasury of Classical Mythology.
New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1992.
Proske, Beatrice Gilman. Brookgreen Gardens Sculpture. South Carolina:
Brookgreen Gardens, 1968.
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