Balthasar - Marsyas

Balthasar Permoser - Marsyas

ca. 1680–85. Marble on a black marble socle inlaid with light marble panels.

Overall with socle (confirmed): H. 27 x W. 17 3/8 x D. 11 1/8 in.

(http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/211486)

The Late Baroque German sculptor Balthasar Permoser was the foremost exponent of German Baroque art in Dresden. He studied sculpture in Salzburg during his teens prior to a 14-year stint in Italy (1675-89). While in Florence he carved the exterior of S. Gaetano (c.1684) and worked on commissions for Grand Duke Cosimo III. In 1689, he left Italy to take up the position of Court Sculptor in Dresden, where he spent the rest of his life, except for a few trips to Berlin, and two visits. Although strongly influenced by the Baroque art of Bernini (1598-1680), Permoser nevertheless - like Andreas Schluter (1664-1714) and other fellow northerners - infused his later work with elements of classicism. In addition, his lavish decoration of the Zwinger Palace in Dresden is an excellent exemplar of full-blown Rococo art. Aside from the Zwinger, Permoser's best known works of Baroque sculpture are Apollo (1715, Staatliche Kunstsammulungen, Dresden) and Apotheosis of Prince Eugene (1718-21, Belvedere Gallery, Vienna).

(http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/sculpture/balthasar-permoser.htm)

Flayed alive after losing a musical contest to the god Apollo, the satyr Marsyas screams in the midst of his torture. Every aspect of the figure, from squinting eyes to torn tongue and flamelike hair, contributes to this image of torment. Early in his career, the sculptor Permoser worked in Florence, where this bust likely was carved. It is his personal response to Gianlorenzo Bernini's dramatic style, especially the Damned Soul of about 1619 (Palazzo di Spagna, Rome). While important sculptures by Pietro and Gianlorenzo Bernini are represented in the Museum's collection, Marsyas is our first work by Permoser, who helped to transmit the Italian Baroque style to Germany when he returned to his native Dresden.

(http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/211486)

This sculpture utilizes line and shape to display the great pain on the face of Marsyas. The emphasis on the facial expression makes it ever more captivating.

We're all afraid of feeling like poor, tortured Marsyas does in this sculpture. We can almost feel a shade of his pain when we look at such a grimace.