Apollo

Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Sculpture of “Apollo and Daphne,” 1625, The Borghese Gallery

Rin Prabhakaran

At age thirty, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, a famous Italian sculptor and architect, created one of his most celebrated masterpieces: the lifesize marble sculpture “Apollo and Daphne.” This piece, commissioned by Cardinal Borghese, depicts a lifesize statue that captures the moment from Ovid's "Metamorphoses," where Daphne turns into a Laurel tree to escape Apollo. The intricate details of the sculpture and its impact allow us to appreciate how Bernini’s work not only reflects but also elevates the myth of “Apollo and Daphne.”

        The etymology of the story of Apollo’s love for Daphne explains why the laurel (the Greek word Daphne means “laurel”) was sacred to him (Morford). This sculpture by Bernini was inspired by Ovid's “Metamorphoses.” Ovid explains how Apollo bragged to Cupid that his bow was bigger. Cupid, now angered, shot Apollo with a golden love arrow, causing Apollo to fall in love with the first person he saw. Cupid then shoots Daphne with a lead-tipped arrow, causing her to be impervious to love. The first person Apollo sees is Daphnae, and he instantly falls in love. The healer god could not heal his wound of love (La Fond 11:23-11:40).

Daphne was a chaste nymph, much like Apollo's sister Artemis, and was not interested in any men. When Apollo, the god of music, beauty, and prophecy, falls in love with Daphne and chases her through the forest. As she runs away from Apollo, she begs her father, Peneus, a river god, to remove her beauty and change her shape. Hearing her cries for help, Peneus quickly transformed Daphne into a laurel tree. In Parthenius’s version of this myth in the "Erotica Pathemata," Gaia swallows Daphne and replaces her with a laurel tree. Apollo, saddened by his loss over Daphne, embraces the laurel tree. He uses immortality to make the laurel evergreen and crafts a wreath from its branches. Apollo also makes the laurel a symbol of poets and musicians; in Rome, it symbolizes triumph. The laurel was so closely associated with Apollo that it became a prize for victors at the Pythian Games.

From Ovid's  depiction of this myth from the “Metamorphoses” is as follows

Now Daphne’s strength was gone, drained by the effort of her flight, and

pale she saw Peneus’ waters. “Help me, Father,” she cried, “if a river has power;

change me and destroy my beauty which has proved too attractive!” Hardly had

she finished her prayer when her limbs grew heavy and sluggish; thin bark en-

veloped her soft breasts; her hair grew into leaves, her arms into branches. Her

feet, which until now had run so swiftly, held fast with clinging roots. Her face

was the tree’s top; only her beauty remains. ( Metamorphoses 1, 543–552)

Even in this form Apollo loves her; placing his hand on the trunk he felt the

heart beating beneath the new-formed bark. Embracing the branches, as if they

were human limbs, he kisses the wood; yet the wood shrinks from his kisses.

“Since you cannot be my wife,” said he, “you shall be my tree. Always you shall

wreathe my hair, my lyre, my quiver. You shall accompany the Roman generals

when the joyous triumph hymn is sung and the long procession climbs the

Capitol . . . and as my young locks have never been shorn, so may you forever

be honored with green leaves!” Apollo’s speech was done: the new-made laurel

nodded her assent and like a head bowed her topmost branches. ( Metamorphoses 1, 553–567)

        Bernini captures the myth of Apollo and Daphne through various intricate details throughout the sculpture. The sculpture can be appreciated from multiple angles. Bernini created it to be looked at so that the expressions of Daphne and Apollo can be seen simultaneously, thus allowing the viewers to understand the story simultaneously (Jeff). The sculpture, yet at a standstill, describes the motion of Apollo chasing Daphne through the woods. The intricate facial expression depicted by Bernini catches the viewer's attention and incites various emotions. Apollo's mid-stride reached Daphnae, and she turned into a laurel tree. Apoolos's face depicts a mixture of love and longing for Daphne and surprise as Daphne's starters turn into a laurel tree. Daphne’s face expresses fear, and her mouth is open in a silent cry for help to escape Apollo. This underscores the tragic nature of the story of Daphne.

        The sculpture depicts Daphne's precise and detailed transformation. Her fingers are elongating into branches, and her toes are transforming into roots. This stark difference between the soft skin and the bark depicts Daphne's desperation to escape Apollo.

        Charles Avery specialized in European sculpture, particularly Italian, French, English, and Flemish. In his book “Bernini: Genius of the Baroque,” Avery emphasized that Bernini’s sculpture is a masterpiece that manipulates marble and creates a sense of fluidity. According to Avery, “Bernini's 'Apollo and Daphne' is not just a depiction of a mythological event; it is a dramatic enactment of the moment of change, of the fleeting and transformative nature of life itself ” (Avery). I agree with Avery’s analysis of the Bernini’s of the sculpture. The sculpture immortalizes this infinitesimally fast transition of Daphne into a laurel tree.

        The magnificent sculpture “Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss” by Antonio Canova captured my attention and showed the difference in tone between the two sculptures. Canova depicts a moment of love and revival and a tender moment between Psyche and Cupid. Bernini’s sculpture depicts Daphne's fear and desperation to escape Apollo’s pursuit. This shows how the absence of love can turn a romantic story into something darker.

Through this piece, I have gained a deeper understanding of the complexity of myths present in Greek culture and the translation of these myths into another medium. This sculpture gives the myth of Apollo and Daphne a face and adds nuance. Analyzing the various details incorporated throughout the sculpture has given me a greater appreciation for the artist. Spending so much time with this piece has allowed me to thoroughly pay attention to every detail, adding nuance to this story of Daphne and Apollo. Bernini has masterfully immortalized the moment of transition with so much clarity and detail, allowing viewers to appreciate it for hundreds of years.

Works Cited

        La Fond, Marie. “Bows, Beats, Bearing Prophecies: Apollo.” Greek and Roman Myth. University of Washington, July 2024, https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/1729190/pages/lesson-4-video-lectures?module_item_id=21246298

Morford, Mark, et al. “Classical Mythology. 12th ed.”, Oxford UP, 2023

Avery, Charles. “Bernini: Genius of the Baroque.” Thames & Hudson, 1997.

Jeff. “Sculpture Masterpiece of Apollo and Daphne.”Buccacio Sculpture Services LL, 14 Feb 2018, buccaciosculptureservices.com/apollo-and-daphne/#:~:text=While%20the%20sculpture%20may%20be,the%20need%20to%20move%20position.