The image shows a male figure standing at the center with one hand raised and holding an object, while the other hand holds a large sword-like weapon. He has classical facial features, long hair with a leafy garland, and is almost nude with a drapery hanging from his waist. Various characters and elements of nature surround him, with muscular, armored men on the left and a struggling figure on the right. The background includes trees, a landscape, mountains, and a castle-like structure on the horizon. The scene is detailed with symbolic elements, typical of mythological and allegorical engravings.
Read the visual description

The image shows a male figure standing at the center with one hand raised and holding an object, while the other hand holds a large sword-like weapon. He has classical facial features, long hair with a leafy garland, and is almost nude with a drapery hanging from his waist. Various characters and elements of nature surround him, with muscular, armored men on the left and a struggling figure on the right. The background includes trees, a landscape, mountains, and a castle-like structure on the horizon. The scene is detailed with symbolic elements, typical of mythological and allegorical engravings.

National Gallery of Art · Print

Apollo and Marsyas

Master MF, after Melchior Meier

Date
1536
Medium
engraving on laid paper
Dimensions
sheet (trimmed within platemark): 23.1 × 31.3 cm (9 1/8 × 12 5/16 in.)
Classification
Print
Accession number
1946.21.304
Credit line
Rosenwald Collection
Time span
1501 to 1550
Department
CG-E

Subjects and terms

  • Italian
  • Nude
  • Tree
  • Figures
Inscription

recto: in plate, in image, at upper right on tablet: 1536 / MF; verso: at upper left in graphite in later hand: 253- [circled]; at lower center in graphite in later hand: Apollo & Marsyas / by Anon. 16th Cent. [indecipherable] / Nagler IV. 1802 / C.12385

Marks

recto: none; verso: National Gallery of Art

Watermarks

A M

NGA object ID 33635. 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.