Apollo and Daphne
St. Michael and Grotesque MotifsRooftop Catapult and AmmunitionMarine Deities and Serpentine CreaturesThe Virgin and Blessing Child EnthronedMarine Procession of Tritons and NereidsApollo and DaphneMax at Castel Sant’Angelo TerraceCupid and PsycheNaumachia in the Belvedere CourtyardApollo and DaphneSea Procession with Tritons and NereidsApollo and Daphne

Apollo and DaphneBonaccorsi Pietro; Rietti Domenico

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This wall fresco (1545–46) shows Apollo reaching toward the fleeing nymph Daphne, with Cupid resting at the left. The scene illustrates the myth in which Daphne asks to be saved from Apollo and is changed into a laurel tree. Her raised, branching arms and sprouting leaves articulate chastity resisting pursuit, turning the story into a moral image of virtue overcoming desire.