Apollo and Daphne
2023 © Maxim Tabachnik
Pauline Bonaparte as Venus VictrixThe Rape of ProserpinaAdoration of the ChildDavid
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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 DaphneGian Lorenzo Bernini

1239
This electrifying marble group (1622–25) freezes the climax of Ovid’s tale as Daphne begins to turn into a laurel tree to escape Apollo’s grasp. Her fingers sprout leaves, her torso hardens into bark. Bernini renders transformation with astonishing fluidity, embodying Baroque ideals of movement, emotion, and divine drama.