The Man, The Myth, The Reformation

Portrait of Balthasar Permoser

Permoser’s work is a reflection of the myth of Marsyas. In the Greek myth, Marsyas was a satyr drenched in hubris. Confident in his musical ability, Marsyas challenged the god Apollo to a musical battle, wagering that the winner could do anything to the loser. Of course, Apollo won and decided to flay Marsyas and nail his skin to a pine tree.

It is in this anguish that we find Marsyas writhing in pain and immortalized in Permoser’s bust. Though myths weren’t entirely absent from baroque sculpture,  Christian iconography was far more present in the genre. Christian visuals were very deliberate themes in the art as sculpture became a weapon of the Catholic church.

Whereas as a visually similar baroque sculpture, Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s Anima Dannata fell into the realm of Christian iconography by depicting a man looking down at hell, Permoser leaned towards the mythic side of baroque sculpture. Permoser choosing to focus on Marsyas is likely deliberate as his audience would be familiar with the myth just as they would be familiar with the notion of Hell implied in Anima Dannata.

Also, sculpting a greek myth allowed him to avoid the restrictions from the German government on creating artwork with any potentially Roman Catholic content.

The Bust of Marsyas

Balthasar Permoser learned about the striking style of Bernini during his travels but he soon ventured home to Germany. It is clear that Permoser was inspired by his fifteen years in Italy and the Bust of Marsyas is one of the principal signs pointing to his heavy Italian influence.

This baroque influence in German art was an incredibly important revival following the reformation because by the end of the reformation German artists were largely isolated from the rest of the art world in part due to the decline in the veneration of images. Post-reformation German artists had made their living and built their families around the income of a work that was no longer being funded; they were so devastated many petitioned their cities to give them municipal work in the stead of art commissions.

Mere decades after the end of the reformation era, when Permoser crafted the Bust of Marsyas Germany was still rebounding. Permoser was able to find work in his home country in the arts, but the fact that he had to study in Italy shows how Germany had still not regained its position in the art world and it had fallen behind in the artistic progression.

Thus, Permoser returning with his knowledge and studies on baroque sculpture contributed to reinvigorating the connection between Germany and the greater art world. His work was displayed prominently in the public sphere, particularly at the Zwinger Palace in Dresden.