This lush, paradisiacal landscape with all manner of animals gathered around the musician Orpheus was painted by the Utrecht-based artist Roelant Saverij. The myth of Orpheus was recounted by the Roman poet Ovid in his book Metamorphoses. When Orpheus sang and played his lyre, he touched everyone, all the animals, the trees and even the stones. Ovid describes how the trees moved closer to hear him and provided him with shade from the sun. Saverij shows an idyllic landscape where the animals, which are usually hostile towards one another, live together in harmony under the influence of Orpheus’s music. In this painting Orpheus plays music in the background, while several animal listen in the foreground, from horses and rabbits to the more exotic: lion, parrot and two camels. Choosing this story gave Saverij a reason to show his skills as a landscape and animal painter. He was inspired by his time as a court painter to Rudolf II and Matthias in Prague. The imperial collection of live animals was a source of study for the painter.