Apollo flaying Marsyas
Statue
1710-1750 (made)
1710-1750 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The subject of this group is one of the most disturbing in classical mythology. When the god Apollo beat the satyr Marsyas in a musical contest, Apollo chose to skin Marsyas alive as a penalty for losing. This group and its companion, Zephyr and Flora (Museum no. A.5-1967), belonged to a series of garden sculptures supplied by Corradini to Augustus the Strong, King of Poland and Elector of Saxony for his gardens in Dresden. Known to have been in the Easton Neston collection in Lincolnshire at least as early as 1902, the sculpture was perhaps brought to England soon after it was sold at an auction, in Dresden, in 1836.
Corradini was a virtuoso sculptor of marble, and although he was mainly active in the Veneto, also worked in Vienna and Rome. He was particularly renowned for his statues of veiled or partially veiled figures, such as his Modesty of about 1750. This figure and Zephyr and Flora exemplify his elegant style, rooted in a classical language, but also incorporating a rococo lightness and movement. Such a style was well suited to garden sculpture in the 18th century.
Corradini was a virtuoso sculptor of marble, and although he was mainly active in the Veneto, also worked in Vienna and Rome. He was particularly renowned for his statues of veiled or partially veiled figures, such as his Modesty of about 1750. This figure and Zephyr and Flora exemplify his elegant style, rooted in a classical language, but also incorporating a rococo lightness and movement. Such a style was well suited to garden sculpture in the 18th century.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Apollo flaying Marsyas |
| Materials and techniques | Carved marble |
| Brief description | Statue, marble, Apollo flaying Marsyas, about 1725, Antonio Corradini. |
| Physical description | Marsyas is shown upside-down, while Apollo commences peeling off his skin. One putto sits by Apollo's lyre on the ground, while another looks over Apollo's shoulder. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Production type | Unique |
| Gallery label | Antonio Corradini (1668–1752)
Apollo Flaying Marsyas
About 1719–23
Like Zephyr and Flora nearby, this sculpture came from the royal gardens in Dresden. Its style is decorative, as was much garden sculpture at the time, but the subject is one of the most disturbing in classical mythology. It shows the god Apollo skinning Marsyas alive as a punishment for losing a musical contest. Intriguingly, we do not know why such an unsettling story was chosen.
Venice
Marble
Formerly in Easton Hall, Lincolnshire(2021) |
| Object history | Supplied to Augustus the Strong for the palace gardens in Dresden after 1723; sold Dresden 31 May 1836 (buyer unknown); sold Messrs Foster & Son, London 7 June 1843 (buyer unknown); at Easton Neston, Northamptonshire by 1902; purchased by the V&A from the Old Clock House, Ascot, Surrey, for £2250 under the Murray Bequest, 1967 |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | The subject of this group is one of the most disturbing in classical mythology. When the god Apollo beat the satyr Marsyas in a musical contest, Apollo chose to skin Marsyas alive as a penalty for losing. This group and its companion, Zephyr and Flora (Museum no. A.5-1967), belonged to a series of garden sculptures supplied by Corradini to Augustus the Strong, King of Poland and Elector of Saxony for his gardens in Dresden. Known to have been in the Easton Neston collection in Lincolnshire at least as early as 1902, the sculpture was perhaps brought to England soon after it was sold at an auction, in Dresden, in 1836. Corradini was a virtuoso sculptor of marble, and although he was mainly active in the Veneto, also worked in Vienna and Rome. He was particularly renowned for his statues of veiled or partially veiled figures, such as his Modesty of about 1750. This figure and Zephyr and Flora exemplify his elegant style, rooted in a classical language, but also incorporating a rococo lightness and movement. Such a style was well suited to garden sculpture in the 18th century. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | A.6-1967 |
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| Record created | April 26, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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