Antique Statuette Torso Restored as Marsyas Flayed

Antique Statuette Torso Restored as Marsyas Flayed

Antique Statuette Torso Restored as Marsyas Flayed

Antique Statuette Torso Restored as Marsyas Flayed

The only ancient part of the sculpture is the torso, a piece of remarkable quality of Polykleitan inspiration, as can be seen from the attitude of the torso. The portion is extensively reworked and lowered to give greater prominence to the muscles and anatomical details. In the modern restoration, the torso is completed by a bald head with pointed ears, muscular arms and legs tied to a trunk, to restore the image of a Marsyas punished by the god Apollo. The bust was originally part of a Dionysian-themed sculpture, as the small tail represented on the back suggests. The Marsyas with the Apollo (MT 463) smaller than life size, were displayed as a counterpart in the Giustiniani Palace, to form a "themed" sculptural group.

Inventory: MT 464

Material: White marble

Technique: Work sculpted through the use of: chisels (also square-tipped and toothed) rasps

Dating: Imperial age

Origin: Giustiniani Collection