The Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA), one of Belgium's premier cultural institutions dating back to 1810, houses the bronze sculpture Orpheus, Inventory No. 3876, by the renowned modernist sculptor Ossip Zadkine (1890-1967).

This powerful work interprets the mythical Greek musician and poet Orpheus, whose legendary ability to charm all living things with his music made him one of the most enduring figures in Western mythological tradition. Orpheus's journey to the underworld in an attempt to rescue his beloved Eurydice represents one of mythology's most poignant explorations of love, loss, and the limits of human will against fate.

Zadkine, a Russian-born artist who spent most of his career in France, was known for combining cubist abstraction with more traditional figurative elements. His interpretation of Orpheus likely reflects this modernist approach, using dynamic, expressive forms to convey the emotional intensity of the mythological figure. The sculpture would have been created during a period when artists were reinterpreting classical themes through modern aesthetic sensibilities, finding new relevance in ancient narratives.

The choice of bronze as medium provides both permanence and expressive potential, allowing Zadkine to capture the lyrical and tragic nature of Orpheus's story through the plasticity of form. The sculpture exemplifies how mythological subjects continued to inspire artistic innovation throughout the 20th century, providing rich symbolic material for exploring universal human experiences.

This work stands as a testament to mythology's enduring presence in modern artistic expression, demonstrating how ancient narratives provide frameworks for exploring timeless themes of human existence.