
Read the visual description
This is a drawing of a mythological scene with Apollo and the Python. The circular frame contains a wooded landscape. On the left, a figure with a decorated robe holds a bow, aiming towards a serpent or dragon on the right. The creature lies slain with its sinuous body and large head near a tree. In the background, a group of figures observes from a distance. The artwork is detailed, especially in the foliage and serpent's scales. The scene conveys tension, capturing a moment of triumph in a classical mythological context.
National Gallery of Art · Portfolio
Apollo Killing the Python
Georg Andreas Wolfgang the Elder
- Date
- 1665
- Medium
- etching on laid paper
- Dimensions
- overall: 14.6 x 14.9 cm (5 3/4 x 5 7/8 in.)
- Classification
- Portfolio · Print
- Accession number
- 2005.17.15
- Credit line
- Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
- Time span
- 1601 to 1650
- Department
- CG-E
Subjects and terms
- German
- Male figure
- Forest
- Snake
Provenance
(sale, Swann Galleries, New York, 4 November 2004, no. 301);(David Tunick, Inc., New York); purchased 2004 by NGA.
Inscription
lower center in plate: Magnus Apollo suis perimit Pythorna Sagittis... /...Quam radijs ardens solvit Apollo suis. / 13
NGA object ID 133465. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.