Apollo Flaying Marsyas

The mythological story of the musical competition between the god Apollo and the satyr Marsyas is told by Ovid in his Metamorphoses and by Diodorus Siculus. After picking up the double-piped reed instrument (aulòs) invented by the goddess Athena, the Phrygian satyr Marsyas became so skilled in its playing that he challenged Apollo to a music contest, in which he was beaten. The scene captures the most dramatic moment, Marsyas’ punishment for having dared to challenge the Sun God. Apollo digs his fingers into the forearm of Marsyas, who is tied to a beech trunk, to flay him alive.