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Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680), Apollo and Daphne, detail of upper portion, 1622-25, marble, 95 5/8 inches (2.43 meters) high, Galleria Borghese, Rome, detail. Photo source: Alvesgaspar / Wikimedia Commons.
Don’t mess with Cupid. Apollo, the most handsome of the Greco-Roman gods, was the charioteer of the Sun, as well as the god of music, poetry, eloquence, art, medicine, prophecy, and archery. But Apollo made the mistake of dissing Cupid and he paid an everlasting price. This article explores the Apollo and Daphne myth in examples of Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo art, concluding with Bernini’s extraordinary version.
Roman, Apollo Belvedere, probably reign of Hadrian, 117-138, probably a copy of a Greek or Hellenistic bronze, possibly by Leochares from c. 330-320 B.C., marble, 7.3 feet (2.24 meters) high, Vatican Museums, Vatican City. Photo Source: Vatican Museums.