Orfeus' Fountain, also known as Orfeusbrunnen, is a sculpture-fountain created by Carl Milles and cast at Herman Bergman Konstgjuteri between 1926 and 1936. It stands in front of the Konserthuset on Hötorget in Stockholm. The statue was unveiled on the morning of July 24, 1936, without ceremony. Orfeus, with his historical connection to music and lyrical art, is a central figure in the Greek mythology. The sculpture was a daring homage to music, and its creation marked a turning point in Milles' career.
Originally, Orfeus was to be a solitary, overweight man-figure in gigantic scale, which resembled a bunch of bananas or a crown of thorns according to some critics. However, Milles reworked his design, and the final result was a powerful statue of Orfeus, surrounded by eight female and male figures, with one male figure bearing Beethoven’s facial features. The reaction of Ivar Tengbom, the architect of the Concert House, to the statue's design is not explicitly mentioned.
In the end, Orfeus' Fountain was saved with a fine margin for Stockholm in 1935, and the statue was a resounding success.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nik Frost
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