The competition of Apollo and Pan and the judgment of Midas

Lastman, Pieter (1583-1633) (after a work of)


Item type:
painting
Date of creation:
ca. 1620
Height:
89.0 cm  (35 1/16 in.)
Width:
131.0 cm  (51 9/16 in.)
Technique / Medium:
oil on canvas
Place of creation:
Amsterdam

    Item location

  • Museum Schloss Wilhelmshöhe
    [Museum inv. no.: GK 188]A copy of this painting was sold at Christie's New York, the 24th January 2003, lot. 11 (sale 1194)

Description

Here Lastman followed Ovid's account (Metamorphoses XI, 179) quite closely. Timolus, the mountain deity, seated in the center, has judged a contest between Apollo and Pan, who appears on the right holding his pipes. Timolus correctly chose the musical gifts of Apollo over those of Pan, who initiated the contest. However, King Midas, at the right edge of the painting, indicates his disagreement by pointing to Pan. For his foolish judgment he is made to grow ass ears.

This subject was a popular theme in both Italy and the North in the 16th and 17th centuries. Midas' punishment may be seen as a warning against choices for earthly enjoyments, but the judgment of Midas may be interpreted as an allegory of the uninformed connoisseur.

(from Christie's catalogue notes)

Instruments [MIMO Code] (notes)

Violin [3573]
Lute [3394]
Viola da gamba [3604] (lying in the foreground; not a clearly distinguishable number of the strings.)
Cornett [3868]

Musical works

illegible music notation

Image URLs

image link 1
RKDimages database, Kasse Museum copy
image link 2
RKDimages database, Christie's copy

Bibliographic references

Sutton, Peter C. A guide to Dutch art in America (Washington, D.C.: Netherlands-American Amity Trust ; Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1986) 205, fig. 296. ISBN 0802802397.

Sluijter, Eric Jan. De 'heydensche fabulen' in de schilderkunst van de Gouden Eeuw (Leiden: Primavera Pers, 2000) 403, n. 116. ISBN: 9074310559.

RIdIM record id

3291