Study of Apollo for Marsyas (recto)

late 1860s

Paul Baudry

Paul Baudry (French, 1828–1886)

Drawings

Study of Apollo for Marsyas (recto), late 1860s. Paul Baudry (French, 1828–1886). Pen and brown ink; sheet: 26.7 x 20.6 cm (10 1/2 x 8 1/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Bequest of Muriel Butkin 2008.373.a When Paul-Jacques-Aimé Baudry was commissioned to create the ceiling paintings for the Grand Foyer of the new Paris Opéra in 1864, for inspiration he visited the Sistine Chapel frescoes by Michelangelo—completed more than 300 years earlier. This drawing depicts the god Apollo from behind, intended for a scene in which Apollo points to the satyr Marsyas, with whom he held a musical competition. The pose and figure type recall Michelangelo’s monumental sculpture of David, which Baudry would have also seen on his Italian journey.

Original Source

Maker/Artist: Baudry, Paul Jacques Aimé
Classification: Drawing
Formatted Medium: pen and brown ink
Medium: pen, brown, ink
Dimensions: Sheet: 26.7 x 20.6 cm (10 1/2 x 8 1/8 in.)
Inscribed: Inscription: Monogrammed and inscribed in brown ink, lower right: B / figure d'Apollon du / jugt de Marsyas / foyer de l'opéra. Signed in brown ink, upper right center: Paul Baudry
Departments: Drawings
Accession Number: 2008.373.a
Credit Line: Bequest of Muriel Butkin
Exhibitions: French Master Drawings from the Collection of Muriel Butkin, Themes and Variations: Musical Drawings and Prints, "The Non-Dissenters," Shepherd Gallery, Nov. 1-Dec. 31, 1976, #9, repr.
Rights Statement: CC0