Apollo as Victor over Pan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Apollo as Victor over Pan |
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| German: Apoll als Sieger über Pan, Spanish: Apolo, vencedor de Pan | |
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| Artist | Jacob Jordaens |
| Year | 1636 - 1638 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Movement | Flemish Baroque |
| Dimensions | 180 cm × 270 cm (71 in × 110 in) |
| Location | Museo del Prado, Paseo del Prado, Madrid, Spain |
| Owner | King Philip IV, 1637-1665 (his death) Museo del Prado, 1794-present |
Apollo as Victor over Pan is a famous oil painting created by the Flemish artist Jacob Jordaens around 1637. It's also known as Apollo's Victory over Marsyas. This large painting shows a dramatic moment from an ancient Greek myth. Today, you can find it at the Museo del Prado in Madrid, Spain.
Jordaens made this artwork as part of a big project. He helped decorate a royal hunting lodge called the Torre de la Parada near Madrid. Many famous artists worked together on this project between 1636 and 1681. Apollo as Victor over Pan was one of two paintings Jordaens contributed.
What's Happening in the Painting?
This painting tells a story from an ancient Roman book called Metamorphoses by Ovid. It shows a music contest between the god Apollo and a satyr named Marsyas. A satyr is a creature from myths, often shown with human-like bodies and goat features.
In the story, Marsyas was very proud of his flute playing. He challenged Apollo, the god of music, to a competition. The painting shows what happened right after the contest. Marsyas lost the challenge. Apollo is shown looking very angry at Midas. Midas was one of the judges, and he thought Marsyas was the better musician.
You might notice that Marsyas in the painting has human legs. In some myths, satyrs are shown with goat legs. But Jordaens chose to paint Marsyas with human legs.
How This Painting Inspired Others
Jordaens' painting was his own version of an earlier artwork. That earlier painting was called Apollo and Marsyas by the famous artist Peter Paul Rubens.
Jordaens' painting then inspired other artists too. A Spanish painter named Juan Bautista Martínez del Mazo made a copy of Jordaens' artwork. Mazo was the son-in-law of Diego Velázquez. Velázquez was a very important royal painter for King Philip IV of Spain.
Velázquez was in charge of the king's art collection. This allowed him to use Mazo's copy of Jordaens' painting to decorate rooms in the Royal Alcázar of Madrid palace. Velázquez even included this copy in the background of his own famous painting, Las Meninas. Las Meninas is considered one of the most important paintings in Western art history. It's like a "painting within a painting"!
In 2014, the Museo del Prado shared this painting with another museum. They loaned Apollo as Victor over Pan to the Museo Carlos de Amberes for a year. It was shown alongside other works by famous artists like Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck.
See also
In Spanish: Apolo vencedor de Pan para niños
