Astrid's Work - Orpheus

Orpheus 1974 – 84

On a visit to Astrid during 1974 I found her to be working on a maquette of Orpheus. I have never been sure if this was a rare personal whim of Astrid’s or if some outside person had inspired it.

Certainly Richard Buckle introduced Astrid to Lincoln Kirstein, the philanthropist who founded the American Ballet School in New York. Lincoln later acquired a bronze casting of this Orpheus, and it appears in an illustration in his book “Quarry”. In this he refers to it as “My Orpheus”, although this may only allude to that particular casting.

Lincoln was certainly taken with Astrid’s work, as later commissions would testify. It was in 1980 that Lord Harewood, who had become a friend of Lincoln’s via the English National Opera Company, suggested that an enlarged version of Orpheus would be an ideal addition to Harewood House to replace the then crumbling fountain centre piece. It is often assumed that the small castings are copies of the Harewood bronze, whereas it is actually the other way around.

There may have been five bronze castings of the original. Lincoln certainly had one as did Astrid, but their locations are unknown. Presumably Lincoln’s went with his estate; Astrid’s copy, always kept in her bedroom, vanished soon after her death and it must be presumed stolen. The location of only one other is positively known. If there were two others, then they have so far not been identified.

There is, however a known resin casting.

The original maquette

Resin casting photograph anon

Harewood house bronze – photos David Alcock

The Harewood House bronze was finally unveiled in 1984

Harewood House – photo Rick Harrison.