Pyxis with Orpheus

Unknown (Byzantine)

Item type:

vessel

Date of creation:

4th century

Technique / Medium:

ivory

Additional titles

Description

Depiction of Orpheus surrounded by a diverse flock of different animals. Orpheus is depicted sitting, his left hand holding a kithara, which rests on his left knee, while plucking the strings with the plectrum that he holds in his right hand.

Iconclass

94O511
Orpheus playing the lyre: trees and rocks move, beasts and birds are enchanted
48C752
one person playing an instrument
48C7321
lyre, cithara, psaltery

Instruments [MIMO Code] (notes)

Kithara [4940]

Image URLs

image link 1
image link 2

RIdIM record id

7342

Data provider

Koç University – Stavros Niarchos Foundation Center for Late Antique and Byzantine Studies (GABAM) and The Friends of Music Society in Athens launched the Byzantine Musical Instruments Project in 2018 with Dr. Antonios Botonakis, under the scientific supervision of Prof. Nikos Maliaras. In 2020, the results of the research were integrated with Koç University Suna Kıraç Library’s website to present an online database with various filters to help researchers make in-depth research.
The main objective of the project was to thoroughly document the depictions of Byzantine musical instruments. During the research, a great number of visual representations on artefacts from the wider geographic area of the Byzantine Empire were studied. In the database more than 400 visual representations of musical instruments spread across 136 different cultural institutions in 27 countries around the world are presented to researchers.
In order to encompass the rich variety of the instruments used in the Byzantine times, some recurring visuals have been eliminated from the database to make room for unique visuals. Since the research was conducted by a Post-Doctorate researcher who is a musicologist, the database demonstrating the iconography also provides a unique classification of instruments. This project is a natural partner for the RIdIM database of performing arts images from all cultures and eras.
Project Direction- Engin Akyürek | Scientific Supervision- Nikos Maliaras | Scientific Research- Antonios K. Botonakis | Content Editor & Turkish Translation- Merve Özkılıç | Project Coordination- Barış Altan, Alexandros Charkiolakis | Digital Collection Technical Support- Senem Acar (Digital collection archivist), George Boumpous, Vera Kriezi, Sina Mater (Web design) | Funded by: Koç University – Stavros Niarchos Foundation Center for Late Antique and Byzantine Studies (GABAM)