Apollo Flaying Marsyas 1651 - 1706

"Apollo Flaying Marsyas" is a Baroque painting by Italian artist Girolamo Troppa, completed between 1651 and 1706. The artwork depicts the Greek myth of Apollo, the god of music, flaying Marsyas, a satyr who dared to challenge him to a musical contest. Apollo, depicted as a young, muscular man, is seen flaying Marsyas, who is bound to a tree, with his sword, suggesting the power of art, as represented by Apollo, over the raw, untamed forces of nature, as represented by Marsyas. The painting is currently housed at the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen, Denmark.