Italian school; second half of the 17th century. "Apollo vanquishing Pan". Oil on canvas. Re-coloured. It presents repainting. Measurements: 137 x 170 cm. In this work is narrated the fable collected by Ovid in which he narrates the dispute between the god Apollo and the demigod Pan. Pan once had the audacity to compare his music with that of Apollo and challenge Apollo, the god of the lyre, to a test of skill. Tmolus, the mountain god, was chosen to arbitrate. Pan blew his flutes and was very pleased with his rustic melody for himself and for his faithful follower, Midas, who was present. Then Apollo plucked the strings of his lyre. Tmolus immediately awarded victory to Apollo, and all but Midas agreed with the judgment. Midas dissented and questioned the fairness of the award. Apollo would no longer suffer such a depraved pair of ears and turned Midas' ears into those of a donkey. This particular painting does not depict the presence of the judge Tmolus as, for example, is found in other depictions of the same theme, such as the one by Jacques Jordaens in the Museo del Prado. However, the two paintings depict different moments in history: in one Apollo is being crowned victor, while in the present one King Midas is listening to Pan playing the flute. Formally it is a composition of the Italian school, with two clearly differentiated compositional, chromatic and luminous parts. The monumentality of both the figures that make up the scene and the background in which it is set stand out. The figures are rounded and forceful, with muscular bodies. It is worth noting that from the 16th century onwards a passion for mythology developed, both Greek and those of other cultures. This was influenced by the development of different excavations which brought to light a greater knowledge of remote cultures and which resulted in the representation of demure scenes from classical texts, as in this particular case. Dimensions 137 x 170 cm.