Apollo by Briton Rivière: Music That Tames the Beasts

In this article

Music that tames wild animals

Apollo, god of music, sits against a tree playing his lyre. Around him lie lions, leopards, deer and goats, all calmed by the music, predators and prey side by side.

Briton Rivière painted Apollo in 1895. It belongs to Bury Art Museum.

The god with his lyre

Apollo playing a lyre against a tree — The god with his lyre.

Apollo leans against a tree, head bowed over his lyre, a pale cloak over his knees. He is absorbed in his playing.

OWN IT.

Apollo, painted by hand

Briton Rivière · oil on canvas, made to order

$299.00~~$599.00~~50% off

Own this masterpiece See sizes and frames

Painted by hand in oil Free shipping worldwide 90-day money-back guarantee

Real paintings, real brushworkSee what arrives at your doorBrowse all samples

Predators lying down

Lions and leopards lying down — Predators lying down.

Lions and leopards lie at his feet, peaceful and drowsy.

Beside them, white goats rest calmly, unafraid. The picture shows the ancient idea that music can bring harmony to nature.

Questions about Apollo

Who is the figure?

Apollo, Greek god of music, playing the lyre.

Where is it?

Bury Art Museum.

Why are the animals calm?

Apollo’s music tames them, so predators and prey rest together.

When was it painted?

In 1895.

Sources and image credit

Wikimedia Commons: Apollo, Bury Art Museum

Public-domain reproduction of Apollo (1895). Detail images are crops of the same image; no reconstruction or upscaling.