Apollo vilt Marsyas c. 1636 - 1670

Crispijn van de Passe the Younger created this small yet intense engraving, Apollo vilt Marsyas, sometime before his death in 1670. Van de Passe situates us within the ancient story of the satyr Marsyas, who dared to challenge the god Apollo to a musical contest. In the image, we witness the gruesome consequences of Marsyas’s hubris. Apollo flays Marsyas alive as punishment for his arrogance. The composition is a study in contrasts, with Apollo’s idealized, smooth body set against the coarse, agonized form of Marsyas. Consider how the story highlights themes of power and divine authority, but also the cultural tensions between the refined arts associated with Apollo and the wild, untamed nature of Marsyas. Van de Passe asks us to consider questions of artistic skill, judgement, and the brutal exercise of power. What does it mean to represent the triumph of order over chaos, and at what cost?