The painting depicts a story from Ovid's Metamorphoses about a musical contest between Apollo and Pan, conflating the entire narrative into one scene. Pan audaciously challenged the god of music to the competition and blew a rustic melody on his pipes that delighted King Midas. Next, Apollo played his lyre so beautifully that the judge, mountain god Tmolus, declared Apollo the victor. Everyone in the audience was content with the judgment but Midas alone challenged the decision, calling it unjust. Angered by this, Apollo gave Midas donkey's ears.

In Greek mythology, Tmolus was a mountain-god of Lydia in Anatolia. He was appointed as judge of a musical contest between the god Apollo and Marsyas.

By Sebastiano Ricci

Pan, the god of shepherds, was the inventor of panpipes. Confident of his musical skills, he challenged Apollo, the god of music, to a musical contest. Tmolus, a mountain god, was appointed as the judge. Naturally, Apollo was chosen as the victor due to his superior skills. Everyone accepted this decision, except for Midas, a staunch follower Pan, who insisted that Pan should have been the winner. Hearing this, Apollo said, "You will have ears to match the mind you have in judging" and turned Midas' ears into the ears of an ass.

By: Noel Halle

Omphale. Sculptor: Joseph Anton Weinmüller. Omphale was the queen of the kingdom of Lydia in Asia Minor. She was the daughter of Iardanus and the wife of Tmolus, the king of Lydia.  After Tmolus was killed by a bull, she continued to reign on her own. She purchased the hero Heracles after he was sent into servitude for one year by the Delphic Oracle for murdering Iphitos.