Artwork

Apollo with his Lyre

Apollo with his Lyre, by Unknown, 1846
Apollo with his Lyre, by Unknown, 1846

Apollo with his Lyre is a photography by the Romanticist artist Unknown. It dates from 1846 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst. A photograph from 1846 captures a staged representation of Apollo, the Greek god of music, in a classical pose.

About this work

The artist dressed the model in ancient Greek-style clothes to look like Apollo, the Greek god of music.

This is a black-and-white photo of a shirtless man holding a lyre, a stringed instrument. He’s barefoot, wearing a short skirt-like cloth, and has a leafy wreath on his head. His left foot steps on a satyr’s leg—half-man, half-goat—lying on the ground.

The photo was made in 1846, one of the earliest uses of photography to capture art. The artist dressed the model in ancient Greek-style clothes to look like Apollo, the Greek god of music.

Look up chiaroscuro to see how light and shadow create drama in art.

Overview

A photograph from 1846 captures a staged representation of Apollo, the Greek god of music, in a classical pose. The image is one of the earliest examples of photography being used to document art.

Subject & Meaning

The scene depicts a shirtless male figure, dressed in ancient Greek attire, holding a lyre and standing over a satyr. The composition is meant to evoke Apollo, with the satyr possibly symbolizing the god's association with the wild or his role in mythological narratives.

Technique & Style

The photograph employs chiaroscuro, using strong contrasts between light and dark to create a dramatic effect. The model's pose and attire are rendered in detail, capturing the textures of the clothing and the lyre.

History & Provenance

The photograph was created in 1846 and is now held at the Museum of Ethnography. It is attributed to the photographer known as 181_person.

Artist & collection

Artist

Unknown

entity whose identity is not known