Apollo and Daphne

This is a small-scale copy by an unknown German artist of a celebrated statue in the Villa Borghese in Rome by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the greatest sculptor of the 17th-century Italian Baroque. Here, Apollo is shown pursuing the nymph Daphne, who evaded him by turning into a laurel tree. Leaves are already sprouting from her arms, and bark begins to enclose her body. Bernini's work, as here, is characterized by dynamic energy and vivid realism. The original marble by Bernini is much larger, but the boxwood used here is more suitable for conveying detail on a small scale and more appropriate for the subject.

Purchase: acquired through the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Milton McGreevy through the Mission Fund