- life sized barouque marble scuplture

- made by Gian Lorenzo Bernini

- made between 1622 and 1625
- housed in galleria borghese in rome
- depcits the climax of the story apollo and daphne by ovid in his book
"metamorphoses"
- roman names "phoebus and daphne"
- commissioned by Cardinal Scipione Borghese at the beginning of Bernini's career
- started the sculpture wheb her was 23
- even though religous art took precedence in the renaissance and baroque italy,
the depection of mythological themes were allowed - and sometimes encourage - by
the vatican
- Bernini, and artists alike him, used the dramatic tales from greek and roman
mythology, which where full of violence and thinly veild eroticism to puch the
levels of acceptability
- height is 243cm
- the final of a series of commisons for cardinal scipione borghese during the
early career of bernini
- designed to be veiwed from the right based on where it had been located by the
doorway allowing the veiwer the see the reactions of both apollo and daphne and
understand the scenario without walking around
-

- most of the work was done between 1622 and 1623 but he paused and interupted the
completion adn didn't complete it until 1625
- he had help from a member of hsi work shop, Giuliano Fenelli who made the
sculptures details that show daphnes conversion from human to tree
- giuliano finelli made the bark, branches and her windswept hair
- historians discount the importance of finellis contribution
- compelted in fall 1625
- its likey Bernini was inspired by the sculpture APOLLO BELVEDERE 2nd century CE
and the roman poet Ovid's rendition of the myth of apollo and daphne

- bernini planned for it to be veiwd from the right as it would have been visible
from the doorway were it was located
- allows you to see the both the faces of daphne and apollo simletaniously so you
can understand the story instantly
- if you go to the left, you see apollo full of joy because he caught daphne, and
daphne eyes full of fear
- standing infront of the sculpture, their faces change. daphne is no longer
worried but apollo is terrified and desperate

- apollo is fated by eros love arrow, and sees daphne the maiden daugher of peneus
a river god, he is consumed by desire and love
- daphne, on the other hand, has been fated by eros love-repelling arrow and denies
love from men
- apollo relentlessy chases her, boasting, pleading and promising everything
- when all her strength is gone she prays to her father
"Destroy the beauty that has injured me, or change the body that destroys my life."
Before her prayer was ended, torpor seized on all her body, and a thin bark closed
around her gentle bosom, and her hair became as moving leaves; her arms were
changed to waving branches, and her active feet as clinging roots were fastened to
the ground—her face was hidden with encircling leaves.
- but apollo didn't stop loving her
Even like this Phoebus loved her and, placing his hand against the trunk, he felt
her heart still quivering under the new bark. He clasped the branches as if they
were parts of human arms, and kissed the wood. But even the wood shrank from his
kisses, and the god said:
"Since you cannot be my bride, you must be my tree! Laurel, with you my hair will
be wreathed, with you my lyre, with you my quiver. You will go with the Roman
generals when joyful voices acclaim their triumph, and the Capitol witnesses their
long processions. You will stand outside Augustus's doorposts, a faithful guardian,
and keep watch over the crown of oak between them. And just as my head with its
uncropped hair is always young, so you also will wear the beauty of undying
leaves."

Paean had done: the laurel bowed her newly made branches, and seemed to shake her
leafy crown, like a head giving consent

- stories like apollo and daphne were particular intrests to barquoe artist who
broke way fron renissance art
- bernini broke away from the stability and order of reniscance art to explore
formal imbalance
- he used greek myths to challenge his carving abilities and convey drama and human
emotion
- scholars suspect berninis relistic details were formed by use of prepatory was
models