Marsyas Tied to a Tree
Medium
Pen and brown ink on ivory laid paper, laid down on ivory wove paper, tipped onto gray card
Dimensions
28.4 × 20.5 cm (11 3/16 × 8 1/8 in.)
Classification
pen and ink drawings
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
84306
Art Historical Context
In the Prints and Drawings collection of the Art Institute of Chicago lies a compelling 16th-century drawing *Marsyas Tied to a Tree created around 1550 by a follower the renowned Florentine sculptor and draughtsman Baccio Band. This pen and brown ink work on ivory laid paper captures a dramatic moment from Greek: the satyr Marsyas bound to a tree after losing a musical contest to the god Apollo. Condemned to be flayed alive,yas embodies themes of hubris and divine retribution, a popular subject in Renaissance art that allowed artists to explore human anatomy and emotion with intense realism. ...