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The Punishment of Marsyas

Guglielmo della Porta

Basic information

ID: С-II-676
Author: Guglielmo della Porta
Name: The Punishment of Marsyas
Date of creation: 16th – early 17th c.
Country: Italy
Technique: moulding
Material: bronze
Dimensions: 12.3 cm (diameter)

Additionally

Type: sculpture (relief)
Genre: mythological painting
Provenance: Collection of Wladyslaw Lozinski in Lviv Collection of Lviv City Gallery

Information about author

Author: Guglielmo della Porta
Artist's lifetime: 1515–1577
Country: Italy
Biography: Guglielmo della Porta (1510 or 1515–1577) was an Italian architect and sculptor of the late Renaissance (Mannerism) period. He was born into a well-known family of stonemasons, sculptors, and architects in northern Italy. Around 1537, he moved to Rome, where he was greatly influenced by Michelangelo, who later highly praised the artist. In 1547, della Porta was appointed to the Papal mint. His creative work was diverse. The sculptor began his artistic training under the guidance of his uncle Giovanni Giacomo, who took him to the construction site of Milan Cathedral and entrusted him with the sculpture and reinterpretation of Leonardo da Vinci's works. He later moved with his uncle to Genoa, where he perfected his artistic skills. The sculptor studied ancient Roman reliefs, sarcophagi, and tombstones. He created small bronze reliefs, referencing the ancient ones, plaques, sculptural Crucifixes in gold and silver, statuettes, and candelabra. His plaques were repeatedly copied by his followers in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.

Object description

A round version of an octagonal plaque, part of a series of original plaques that were popular in Europe throughout the 16th and early 17th centuries. The work is based on the mythological story of the satyr Marsyas, who dared to challenge the god Apollo to a contest of musical instruments. Apollo won, but for his insolence, he ordered Marsyas’ skin to be flayed and hung on a tree. The composition of the plaque emphasises the central vertical line, where the satyr is hanging from a tree. Below is a figure with a knife, which the executioner will use to flay the satyr’s skin. On either side of the tree are figures of various ancient characters – Hercules, Mercury, and King Midas, who acted as judge in the duel between the Olympic god and the satyr. An octagonal version of the work is kept in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Inscriptions

On the reverse side are inscriptions: "45"; "45.G.N.M.L."; "392"; "№ С-ІІ-676 Львів ОКГ"; "№ С-ІІ-676 / Львів ОКГ"; mark "Gal. Nar. m. Lwowa".

Legal regulation

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery