Marsyas and Olympus
Artist: Annibale Carracci (Italian, 1560 - 1609)
Original Dimensions: 13 1/2" x 33 1/8"
Location: National Gallery of Art, London
About Artwork: (1597-1600) "A naked golden-haired youth sits on a rock, playing the panpipes; another set of pipes hangs from the tree behind him. An older bearded man sits nearby on the ground, his panpipes also hanging from a branch. This is perhaps the satyr Marsyas; the youth may be Olympus, described in classical sources as a composer, follower and occasional favourite of Marsyas. The musical theme is especially appropriate as this long panel is part of the case of a musical instrument, probably some kind of harpsichord. The figures are based on antiquities in the collection of the powerful Farnese family. The original instrument was perhaps owned by Fulvio Orsini, librarian and curator to successive Farnese cardinals from 1558 until his death in 1600." - (National Gallery of Art, London)

Panel content
Panel content