Marsyas
Artist/Culture
Roman
Date3rd–4th century CE
Mediumwhite marble
Dimensions65.4 x 19.9 x 17.5 cm (25 3/4 x 7 13/16 x 6 7/8 in.)
ClassificationsSculpture
Credit LineSarah C. Garver Fund
Terms
Object number1971.90
Label TextMany sculptures of the satyr Marsyas were produced in red or white marble throughout the Roman Empire. Marsyas, famed for his flute playing, challenged Apollo to a musical contest. His punishment for losing was to be suspended against the trunk of a tree and skinned alive. Both sculptures show the strained muscles of the bound figure and the red marble suggests bloody, flayed skin. The fearful, tortured expression of the white marble version is typical of such works.
ProvenanceMuseum purchase from Charles Lipson, Jamaica Plain, MAOn View
On viewCurrent Location
- Exhibition Location Gallery 105
