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Apollo Flays Marsyas.

After Giovanni Battista Langetti by Lorenzo Zucchi. The Flaying of Marsyas. "The Flaying of Marsyas." Dresden: C.H.von Heineken 1750-1757
Black & white copper engraving of Apollo flaying Marsyas, from the Recueil d'estampes d'après les plus célèbres tableaux de la Galerie Royale de Dresde. Engraved by Lorenzo Zucchi and Anto. Kern after the painting of Giovanni Battista Langetti.
Lettered below image with production detail: 'Ant. Kern del. - L. Zucchi Scul.' and 'Quadro di Giovambattista Langetti..', 'Tableau de Jean Baptiste Langetti..', and size and provenance of painting in Italian and French. Numbered 47 on plate.

The image show Apollo at the centre tying the satyr's legs to a tree trunk; on the right, an old satyr with his arms folded; on the left, three more satyrs witnessing the scene.

Maryas is mythological personage, connected with the earliest period of Greek music. He is variously called the son of Hyagnis, or of Oeagrus, or of Olympus. Some make him a satyr, others a peasant. All agree in placing him in Phrygia. The following is the outline of his story, according to the mythographers. Athena having, while playing the flute, seen the reflection of herself in water, and observed the distortion of her features, threw away the instrument in disgust. It was picked up by Marsyas, who no sooner began to blow through it than the flute, having once been inspired by the breath of a goddess, emitted of its own accord the most beautiful strains. Elated by his success, Marsyas was rash enough to challenge Apollo to a musical contest, the conditions of which were that the victor should do what he pleased with the vanquished. The Muses, or, according to others, the Nysaeans, were the umpires. Apollo played upon the cithara, and Marsyas upon the flute; and it was not till the former added his voice to the music of his lyre that the contest was decided in his favour. As a just punishment for the presumption of Marsyas, Apollo bound him to a tree, and flayed him alive. His blood was the source of the river Marsyas, and Apollo hung up his skin in the cave out of which that river flows. Dark impression; light toning and dampstain to left and lower blank margins; soft crease to upper right corner,

Recueil d'estampes d'après les plus célèbres tableaux de la Galerie Royale de Dresde ( The Dresden Gallery), was a series of 100 prints executed by several artists across Europe and reproducing the most famous paintings of the Dresden Gallery' The project was launched c.1750; a first volume including fifty prints was published in 1753, and a second volume of fifty prints followed in 1757. The production was organised by C.H.von Heineken
A supplementary set of fifty, focusing mainly on landscapes, was published much later and independently in c.1795.

Giovanni Battista or Giambattista Langetti Langetti (Genoa, 1625 - Venice, 1676) was an Italian Baroque painter of the seventeenth century, who was active in Genoa, Rome and Venice, where he finished his life
He served his apprenticeship with Gioacchino Assereto and Pietro da Cortona, and finally with Giovanni Francesco Cassana. Àt Venice in the 1650s, he worked in the style of Caravagio ; he influenced Johann Karl Loth (1632-1698) and Antonio Zanchi: he also painted historical portraits for families of Veneto and Lombardy.

Lorenzo Zucchi (1704 - 1779)
Engraver. b. Venice, son of Andrea, nephew of Francesco. To Dresden with his father in 1726. Appointed court engraver in 1738, and in 1764 professor of engraving at the Academy.

Anton Kern (1709 - 1747)
Also known as Kern, Franz Anton; Körne, Anton; Körne, Antonin
Painter. While attending latin school he met painter Lorenzo Rossi, who taught him and took him to Dresden for 1 year and to Venice. In Venice for 7 years, he was trained by Giovanni Battista Pittoni. Moved to Prague and painted for court there. In 1738 he returned to Dresden. August III. was delighted by him and sent him to Rome for further studies. 1741 court painter in Dresden.
British Museum no:1855,0609.1267. 435 by 565mm (17¼ by 22¼ inches).   ref: 2683  €350

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