Lot 17: EMILE JEAN BAPTISTE PHILIPPE BIN (FRENCH, 1825-1897) The Death of Orpheus

EMILE JEAN BAPTISTE PHILIPPE BIN (FRENCH, 1825-1897)
The Death of Orpheus
signed and dated ‘Emile Bin 1874’ (lower left)
oil on canvas
55 x 44 1/2in (140 x 113cm)
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Provenance
Sale, Sotheby’s, New York, 25 April 2006, lot 52.
A similar painting with the same title was Emile Bin’s entry to the salon of 1863. It is unknown why the artist chose to repeat such an unusual subject matter in 1874.
The painting depicts the last episode in Orpheus’ life. The loss of Eurydice in the underworld caused Orpheus to despise women. As the women of Ciconia in Thrace found out about it, they descended furiously upon him and tore him to bits.