Apollo and Daphne
2023 © Maxim Tabachnik
Pauline Bonaparte as Venus VictrixThe Rape of ProserpinaAdoration of the ChildDavid
Apollo and DaphneApollo and DaphneApollo and DaphneApollo and DaphneApollo and DaphneDaphne’s Transformed Feet
The Council of the GodsSaint Jerome WritingAeneas, Anchises, and AscaniusThe EntombmentYoung Sick BacchusDavid with the Head of GoliathApollo and Daphne with The Apotheosis of RomulusMadonna and Child with St AnneRoman Civilization and the Heroic Virtue of HonorBoy with a Basket of FruitSacred and Profane LoveMax Amid Roman EchoesThe Apotheosis of RomulusTruth Unveiled by TimeBust of Cardinal Scipione BorgheseYoung Woman with a UnicornHistoric Gardens of Villa BorgheseAtlantes and DeitiesMax aming Berninis and CaravaggiosPope Paul V BorghesePope Paul VMax Contemplates Bernini’s Pluto and ProserpinaVenus Blindfolding CupidFireplace

Apollo and DaphneBernini

1168
This Baroque masterpiece (1622–25) captures the climax of Ovid’s myth: as Apollo pursues Daphne, she calls to her father for help and begins transforming into a laurel tree. Bernini freezes the moment of metamorphosis—her fingers sprout leaves, her toes root into bark—conveying divine drama, erotic tension, and the futility of desire in motionless marble.