Getty Museum

Statue of Marsyas

Date

late 1st–early 2nd century A.D.

Medium

Marble

Culture

Roman

Department

Sculpture

Institution

Getty Museum

Only the torso of this figure, identified as the satyr Marsyas, is preserved. The legs are broken off at the hip, and the arms and shoulders are missing. The head and neck are broken at shoulder level, though some of the beard is preserved on the chest. Several Roman copies survive of a famous statue group depicting the goddess Athena and the satyr Marsyas, including this fragmentary example. The original statue group, now lost, was created by the Greek sculptor Myron around 450 B.C., and stood for centuries on the Acropolis in Athens. The scene portrays Marsyas discovering the double pipe that Athena has just tossed aside in disgust, hating the way her face was distorted when she tried to play it. The astonished satyr throws his right arm up while stepping backward.

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