Actor Edwige Fenech (French-Italian, born Dec. 24, 1948).
Apollo Preparing to Flay Marsyas, first half of 19th century. Pen and ink. Giuseppe Cammarano, (Italian, 1766 - 1850).
What’s Going on Here? Marsyas, a satyr, was the world’s first and best player of the old Greek harmonica (aulos). One day when he and the other satyrs were drunk as usual, he presumed to challenge Apollo (the god of music) to a musical competition.
Now, to the ancient Greeks, hubris such as Marsyas’s was considered one of the worst vices—and challenging the gods, in any way, was the worst kind of hubris.
The judges of the performances were, naturally, the Muses, goddesses of the arts (and Apollo’s daughters).
It’s actually a more complicated story, but, cutting to the chase: After Apollo won, he had Marsyas flayed alive.
See more satyr-flaying art:
