Marsyas

This graceful youth, with a perfectly round head and hair cropped across his forehead, is Marsyas. Typically depicted as a satyr, this work is based on an ancient sculpture that represented him as human. According to ancient Greek sources, Athena, the goddess of war, invented the aulos (double flute). She discarded the instrument because she had to puff out her cheeks and disfigure her face in order to play it. Marsyas found the flute and played it so enchantingly that he charmed all of his woodland companions. The bandage around Marsyas’ face was used by Greek and Roman flute players to hold the instrument in place. There are several Renaissance versions of this bronze—none of which still have the double flute—and it was no doubt missing from the antique original.