The three statues represent presumably a single composition. They are dated 350-300 years before Christ (“Sculptural Group of a Seated Poet and Sirens”). The two women sculptures with bird legs can unmistakably be identified as sirens. Sirens in Greek mythology are the beings that lure sailors to lead their ships closer to them, which eventually leads to a crash. The man who sits between them on a chair is presumably Orpheus, the legendary poet, and singer. He was believed also to influence people’s behavior through his music and singing. However, there is a certain controversy as to whether the man on the chair is Orpheus.
The basis of this doubt is that in Greek mythology Orpheus used to wear Eastern-style clothes (“Ancient Terracottas”). Thus, a vase painting that depicts Orpheus among Thracians features the poet dressed in Eastern clothes indicating his ethnicity. Here he wears a Greek tunic that is often attributed to the style of philosophers. In Apulian vases, the character stands among underworld creatures like Cerberus holding a scroll with a religious text and kithara. Kithara, an ancient musical instrument, is a more typical attribute of Orpheus than his clothes. Another indication that a seated man is Orpheus is that he is almost always portrayed as a young person without a beard. The musical instrument appears to have been present in the left hand of the statue but was lost due to unknown reasons.
The three figures are believed to be a part of a grave decoration, as Orpheus is well-known for his successful travels to and from the underworld using his talents to cheat Cerberus. The sirens also are symbols connected with death. The three statues were brightly decorated and painted which also gives a reason to believe that it was previously a decoration of a grave.
Works Cited
“Ancient Terracottas.” Getty.Edu. 2018, Web.
Conard, Nicholas J. “A Female Figurine from the Basal Aurignacian of Hohle Fels Cave in Southwestern Germany.” Nature, vol. 459, no. 7244, 2009, pp. 248-252.
Garate, Diego et al. “At the Crossroad: A New Approach to the Upper Paleolithic Art in the Western Pyrenees.” Quaternary International, vol. 364, 2015, pp. 283-293.
“Head of Kind David.” Met Museum. n.d., 2018. Web.
Holmes, L., and G. Harbottle. “Old stones, new science.” Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, vol. 248, no. 1, 2001, pp. 75-79.
“Sculptural Group of a Seated Poet and Sirens (2) with unjoined fragmentary curls (304).” Getty.Edu. n.d., Web.