Pan Punished by Nymphs
Jacques Jordaens
c. 1640
Jacob Jordaens (1593 - 1678). Pan punished by the nymphs, c. 1640. In this playful mythological scene Pan, the goat-hoofed Greek god of the woods, is punished by the nymphs because, despite their attempts to teach him, he is still unable to dance. They have tied his hands behind his back and are cutting off his beard. Standing above the others is Apollo. As god of the arts, he directed the punishment. The subject is borrowed from the Eikones by Philostratus, a series of descriptions of fictional ancient paintings.
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam · Image: Rijksmuseum, Public domain · Text: Rijksmuseum (adapted), CC0