Accompanied by a certificate signed by the artist confirming the authenticity of this lot

ABOUT THE WORK

Marcel Antonio’s Orpheus and Eurydice is a visual retelling of the enduring Greek legend of Orpheus and Eurydice, two lovers whose romantic intimacy and warm tenderness were cut short by a tragic demise. Orpheus was said to be the son of the muse Calliope and Apollo, the god of poetry, music, dance, the sun, healing, and prophecy, among others. He was endowed with the superhuman gift of music that humans and even gods and beasts are enraptured by his mesmerizing melodies and spellbinding singing. Apollo, the originator of string music, gave him his first lyre, the instrument attributed to the god. It was on one occasion of humans and beasts that Orpheus was struck by the enchanting beauty of the nymph Eurydice, who had also been ravished by the demigod’s voice. It was love at its most instantaneous and immaculate, and the two would eventually marry. Hymen, the god of marriage, blessed their union. However, he warned them of a looming adversity that would bear an unrelenting agony doomed to transcend beyond the afterlife. Hymen’s prophecy would eventually come to fruition, as Eurydice would succumb to death due to a snakebite. There have been several versions of this story. One version tells of Eurydice wandering the forest with her fellow nymphs, while the other narrates of the shepherdgod Aristaeus’ insatiable lust over Eurydice and how he chased her, eventually leading to the woman’s death after accidentally stepping on a nest of poisonous snakes. Eurydice’s death struck Orpheus with an unforgiving grief. Accompanied by his lyre, Orpheus’ songs of lamentation became haunting cries; everything in the world—living or not, mortals and gods—was stirred by his sorrow. Orpheus then decided to go into the underworld. His dangerous descent into the realm of the dead was aided by his charming music and the guidance and protection of Apollo and the other gods. He encountered the souls of the dead and managed to enter the gates of the underworld, guarded by the vicious three-headed dog Cerberus. Orpheus presented himself to Hades and his wife, Persephone. As he poignantly played his lyre and sang out his profound sorrow, Orpheus desperately pleaded for his wife to be brought back to the world of the living. Overwhelmed with condolence and compassion, Hades agreed, but under one condition: Orpheus must walk ahead of Eurydice as they pass through the dreadful domain of the dead and must not in any way attempt to look back at his wife until she had entirely left the underworld. Orpheus then began to embark on what he deemed a smooth-sailing task. Throughout their journey, Orpheus was imbued with a sense of calm; he did not dare to look back at Eurydice. But as soon as the light of hope emanating from the land of the living eventually dawned upon them, a blazing excitement pervaded Orpheus. He turned around to fervently embrace his beloved Eurydice, not realizing she was still in the ghastly abyss of the nether regions. In the blink of an eye, Eurydice was condemned to eternity in the feral domain of the unforgiving Hades. (Adrian Maranan)