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Titian's "Flaying of Marsyas" Trivia Quiz

Tiziano Vecellio's "Flaying of Marsyas" is one of the greatest paintings on canvas, but it is not well known. When you take this quiz, it may help if you have downloaded an image of the painting from one of many websites where it is available.

A multiple-choice quiz by jbuck919. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
jbuck919

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
179,647

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
276

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. The central action of the painting is the skinning alive of the character Marsyas. What offense has he committed? Hint

He wanted to be made fully human.

He made advances to one of Apollo's favorites.

He wanted to join the gods on Mount Olympus.

He dared to challenge Apollo to a contest on the flute.

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Question 2 of 10

2. Marsyas is not the only character in the picture who is being punished. Who is the elderly gentleman on the left with buskins and the ears of an ass? Hint

Minos

Midas

Sisyphus

Tantalus

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Question 3 of 10

3. The characters in the the painting exhibit facial expressions that can best be described by which adjectives? Hint

contemplative and absorbed

grieved and mourning

shocked and horrified

cheerful and delighted

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Question 4 of 10

4. Marsyas is what kind of figure from Greek myth? Hint

satyr

demigod

centaur

syrinx

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Question 5 of 10

5. Approximately how old was Titian when he painted this picture? Hint

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Question 6 of 10

6. Who is the figure to the far right playing the viol? Hint

Orpheus

Apollo

uncertain

St. Cecilia

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Question 7 of 10

7. If you are looking at the picture, who is the figure to the right, holding a bucket? Hint

Another unspecified satyr

An avatar of the god Aries

A palimpsest of Marsyas

Pan

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Question 8 of 10

8. The character who is actually doing the flaying is wearing a characteristic cap which gives away the location of the story. Where would that be? Hint

Phrygia

Dalmatia

Crete

Achaea

9. The style of the painting is strikingly different from most earlier works of Titian. However, the absence of clear outlines in the figures is characteristic of a few late paintings, including one of what frequently depicted saint? Hint

Cecilia

Sebastian

Francis of Assisi

Jerome

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Question 10 of 10

10. One reason the "Flaying" may lack fame is that its home is not in a great museum city, but what relatively obscure central European town? Hint

Bratislava in Slovakia

Kromeriz in the Czech Republic

Dubrovnik in Croatia

Wadowice in Poland

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The central action of the painting is the skinning alive of the character Marsyas. What offense has he committed?

Answer: He dared to challenge Apollo to a contest on the flute.

Marsyas won the contest. It's not nice to do that when you're competing with a god.

2. Marsyas is not the only character in the picture who is being punished. Who is the elderly gentleman on the left with buskins and the ears of an ass?

Answer: Midas

Midas was the judge of the contest. His punishment for preferring Marsyas' performance was to be given asses' ears. What happened to the touch of gold? Same king, different myth. (Incidentally, the Midas in the painting is a self-portrait of Titian.)

3. The characters in the the painting exhibit facial expressions that can best be described by which adjectives?

Answer: contemplative and absorbed

Even Marsyas himself seems to have found a way to transcend the inherent horror of what is happening to him.

4. Marsyas is what kind of figure from Greek myth?

Answer: satyr

A satyr had the torso of a man, the lower body of a goat, and a head somewhere in between.

5. Approximately how old was Titian when he painted this picture?

Answer: 85

That ranks with the late operas of Verdi as one of the most prodigious achievements of an aged artist ever. We cannot be certain of Titian's age, because the year of his birth is uncertain. However, he was born around 1490, and the painting was executed in 1575 or 1576.

6. Who is the figure to the far right playing the viol?

Answer: Apollo

Not taking any more chances, Apollo switches instruments. The choice "St. Cecilia" (patroness of music) is not as far-fetched as it sounds, because the figure of Apollo is influenced by Christian iconography, in particular the depiction of angels.

7. If you are looking at the picture, who is the figure to the right, holding a bucket?

Answer: Pan

Just as Apollo is fused with the concept of an angel, the demonic-appearing Pan is fused with that of the devil.

8. The character who is actually doing the flaying is wearing a characteristic cap which gives away the location of the story. Where would that be?

Answer: Phrygia

Like much of the painting's iconography, the cap has multiple meanings. It was the general symbol for foreigners, particularly Trojans, in classical times and the symbol for freed slaves (later a general symbol for freedom). It also bears more than a slight resemblance to the cap of the doge, the ruler of Venice, where Titian lived and worked.

Answer: Sebastian

Saint Sebastian is a common nude study because he was supposedly martyred by being shot with many arrows.

10. One reason the "Flaying" may lack fame is that its home is not in a great museum city, but what relatively obscure central European town?

Answer: Kromeriz in the Czech Republic

It was formerly in the Archbishop's Palace and is now in the State Museum. Fortunately for those who can't make the pilgrimage, the painting often goes on tour.

Source: Author jbuck919

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor thejazzkickazz before going online.
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