Marsyas

ca. 1680–85

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 548

Flayed alive after losing a musical contest to the god Apollo, the satyr Marsyas screams in the midst of his torture. Every aspect of the figure, from squinting eyes to torn tongue and flamelike hair, contributes to this image of torment. Early in his career, the sculptor Permoser worked in Florence, where this bust likely was carved. It is his personal response to Gianlorenzo Bernini's dramatic style, especially the Damned Soul of about 1619 (Palazzo di Spagna, Rome). While important sculptures by Pietro and Gianlorenzo Bernini are represented in the Museum's collection, Marsyas is our first work by Permoser, who helped to transmit the Italian Baroque style to Germany when he returned to his native Dresden.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

Title: Marsyas
Artist: Balthasar Permoser (German, Kammer, near Otting, Chiemgau, Bavaria 1651–1732 Dresden)
Date: ca. 1680–85
Culture: German, executed Rome or Florence
Medium: Marble on a black marble socle inlaid with light marble panels
Dimensions: confirmed: 27 × 17 3/8 × 11 1/8 in., 133.8 lb. (68.6 × 44.1 × 28.3 cm, 60.7 kg)
socle, confirmed: 6 1/4 in. (15.9 cm)
yellow marble display column (wt confirmed): 644 lb. (295.7 kg)
Classification: Sculpture
Credit Line: Rogers Fund and Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 2002
Object Number: 2002.468
Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Audio

89. Marsyas

Body Language

0:00

We're sorry, the transcript for this audio track is not available at this time. Please email info@metmuseum.org to request a transcript for this track.

More Artwork

By Balthasar Permoser

In the same gallery

From the same time and place

A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.

Model for the so-called "Female Saint of Starnberg", Ignaz Günther German, Linden wood with pencil marks, German, Munich — Model for the so-called "Female Saint of Starnberg"
Ignaz Günther
ca. 1755

Harlequina, Franz Anton Bustelli Swiss, Hard-paste porcelain, German, Nymphenburg — Harlequina
Franz Anton Bustelli
Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory
ca. 1763

Sabine Houdon (1787–1836), Jean Antoine Houdon French, White marble on gray marble socle, French, Paris — Sabine Houdon (1787–1836)
Jean Antoine Houdon
1788

Samuel Bernard (1651–1739), Guillaume Coustou the Elder French, Marble, French, Paris — Samuel Bernard (1651–1739)
Guillaume Coustou the Elder
ca. 1727

Madame de Wailly, née Adélaïde-Flore Belleville (1765–1838), Augustin Pajou French, Bust: marble; base: grey marble, French, Paris — Madame de Wailly, née Adélaïde-Flore Belleville (1765–1838)
Augustin Pajou
1789

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.