Orpheus

Kafka’s villa, located in Prague’s Ořechovka neighbourhood, was built between 1923 and 1924 according to the design of architect Pavel Janák. The villa, which includes an art studio, was commissioned by sculptor Bohumil Kafka, a leading representative of Czech Symbolist and Art Nouveau sculpture. Set on a brickwork base in the garden surrounding the villa is Kafka’s bronze statue of Orpheus, dating from 1922. The artist portrayed the mythic musician in a state of despair at the loss of his beloved wife, Eurydice. His slightly larger-than-lifesize kneeling nude figure stretches the arms up towards heaven, pleading with the gods for Eurydice’s return from the underworld. Due to the dilapidated condition of the brickwork base, the statue was removed from its pedestal in June 2019. It is currently being reconstructed and restored, in a process which involves the making of a copy of the original base, plus cleaning and conservation of the bronze statue.