Apollo and Daphne
In the centre of the painting stands Apollo in the act of playing the Renaissance “lira da braccio”, according to an iconography that is very common in portrayal of the god of poetry and music but unusual in those of the famous tale from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. The small figure of Daphne, fleeing as she is being transformed into a laurel tree, appears in the background, outlined with a few brushstrokes, an extremely poetic way to render the poignant drama of the myth. Apollo’s face and passionate gesture emerging from the shadows are equally poetic. The mighty figure of the god conjures up references to ancientsculpture, such as the Torso of the Belvedere, and Raphael’s Parnassus.