Description:
Oil on canvas. Northern Italian school of the 17th century. The large canvas derives from a 1562 engraving by the Venetian Giulio Sanuto, which faithfully reproduced the homonymous work by Bronzino (1503-1572), currently preserved at the Hermitage. Compared to the original, the engraving added the group of Muses and modified the landscape background by introducing glimpses of the towns. The work is divided into four scenes, which should be read from right to left. The first scene depicts the musical contest between Apollo and the silenus Marsyas, who played the flute so well that he was considered superior to the god himself. The two contenders are performing, the god with the lyre and the silenus with the flute even upside down (to increase the difficulty of the undertaking), in front of King Midas and the goddess Minerva, recognizable by her attributes, the helmet, the spear, and the shield. In the second scene, Apollo is intent on flaying Marsyas to punish him for winning the musical competition; his cloak and lyre are resting on the ground beside him. In the third scene, it is King Midas who is being punished by the god for preferring Marsyas to him: Apollo is putting donkey ears on Midas, while Minerva watches. Finally, the fourth scene, in the foreground on the left, is characterized by a particular figure, identified as the king's faithful servant and barber. Since Midas had ordered him to keep the secret about his donkey ears, unable to vent his frustration otherwise, he dug a hole in the ground and screamed his secret into it. In that place, however, legend has it that a bush of reeds grew, which whispered "King Midas has donkey ears" in the wind, thus revealing the feared secret. The painting has been previously restored and relined, but currently requires further color retouching. On the back in pencil there is an old attribution to the Ferrarese school ("Ercole da Ferrara"). It is presented in a late 19th-century style frame.
Product Condition:
Product in fair condition showing some signs of wear.
Frame dimensions (cm):
Height: 130
Width: 268
Depth: 13
Work dimensions (cm):
Height: 105
Width: 243
ARARPI0167017
