Pan Punished by Nymphs

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. Many artists had drawn inspiration from these narratives since the Renaissance. From the W.Six collection (Amsterdam) and G. Bicker van Swieten (The Hague). Purchased in 1809, as part of the collection Van Heteren Gevers. On loan to the Mauritshuis, The Hague, between 1948 and 2001.