The Competition between Apollo and Marsyas and the Judgment of Midas
Sanuto's engraving is based on a design by Bronzino for the inside of a harpsichord lid now in the Hermitage. Ovid had kept Apollo's musical competition with Pan, attended by King Midas (Metamorphoses 11.146-93), separate from that with the satyr Marsyas (6.382-400). Other sources, however, conflated them. The Florentine humanist Cristoforo Landino had named Midas and Minerva as judges of the contest with Marsyas, as they appear here at right. In the center, the defeated Marsyas is flayed, while in the background, Apollo punishes Midas for his bad judgment by attaching long ears to his head. Although the king hid them beneath a turban (not shown), his barber knew the truth and, sworn to secrecy, shouted it into a hole, as we see in the left foreground. The reeds that grew there whispered, "Midas has ass's ears." Sanuto has supplemented his model with the Muses from Raphael's Parnassus and a view of Venice.
Artwork Details
- Title: The Competition between Apollo and Marsyas and the Judgment of Midas
- Artist: Giulio Sanuto (Italian, active 1540–88)
- Artist: After Bronzino (Agnolo di Cosimo di Mariano) (Italian, Monticelli 1503–1572 Florence)
- Date: 1562
- Medium: Engraving (central section of three-part object)
- Dimensions: Sheet (Trimmed): 20 1/8 in. × 16 in. (51.1 × 40.6 cm)
- Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1953
- Object Number: 53.600.879
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Giulio Sanuto
ca. 1540–57
Giulio Sanuto
ca. 1557
Giulio Sanuto
Titian (Tiziano Vecellio)
1559
Giulio Sanuto
Titian (Tiziano Vecellio)
ca. 1557–70
Giulio Sanuto
Bronzino (Agnolo di Cosimo di Mariano)
1562
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.