Scene
The satyr Marsyas hangs upside down from a tree while Apollo and assistants flay him alive. Apollo also appears in the background playing the lyre, compressing the contest and punishment into one image.
Flaying of Marsyas
Titian
1570
Figures
Marsyas is the central figure, while Apollo appears twice as both musician and executioner. King Midas stands to the side as a crowned witness, and other figures assist or collect blood.
Symbolism
The scene is described as extreme punishment for hubris. A diagonal grouping of figures suggests the three ages of man, and some viewers see the painting as a meditation on mortality.
Craft
Titian used loose, gestural brushwork and a dark palette, with unfinished areas that contrast with highly finished details like the golden crown.
Impact
The work is considered a modern masterpiece that has influenced later artists and writers for its radical composition and expressive surface.
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Craft
