The Flaying of Marsyas
Jan van der Straet, called Johannes Stradanus
1588
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Jan van der Straet, called Johannes Stradanus
1588
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
You see Apollo’s knife flash above Marsyas’ skin, which peels back like wet paper. The gods react—some cover their faces, others lean in. Stradanus painted this while Florence taught artists to study real bodies. The story comes from an old myth: Marsyas lost a music contest, then got punished. Artists in his circle watched dissections to learn how skin really tears. To dig deeper, look up chiaroscuro, the dark-light trick that makes this scene so dramatic.
