Apollo tending the flocks of Admetus, Apollo seated holding a lyre and flanked by a cow and a dog, a serpent winding around a dead tree at right

Art Historical Context

In the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints collection, this engraving, titled *Apollo Tending the Flocks of Admetus*, a poignant moment from Greek mythology. Dated around 1515–27, it depicts the god Apollo seated gracefully with his lyre, flanked by a loyal cow and dog from King Admetus's herd, while a serpent coils ominously around a barren tree at right. Created by engravers Marco Dente, with involvement from publishers Giovanni Giacomo De Rossi and Antonio Salamanca, the small trimmed sheet (4½ × 7⅛ in.) exemplifies Renaissance printmaking's precision and narrative depth. The scene draws from Ovid's *Metamorphoses*, where Zeus punishes Apollo for avenging his son Hyacinthus by forcing him into humble shepherd duty. This print reflects the era's fascination with classical myths, blending divine music—symbolized by the lyre—with pastoral humility and subtle menace from the serpent, evoking themes of exile and redemption. Engraving's technique, incising intricate lines into a copper plate for inked impressions, allowed widespread dissemination of such humanist imagery across Europe. De Rossi and Salamanca's Roman workshops were hubs for this art, making mythological tales accessible to scholars and collectors alike. A gift to the Met via the Harris Brisbane Dick Fund in 1926, it invites us to ponder Apollo's lyrical grace amid earthly trials.