The statue of Apollo and Daphne by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1622-25). This statue depicts the tragic mythological store of Apollo and Daphne. Apollo, the god of music and poetry, one day insults Cupid, the god of love. So as revenge, Cupid fashions two arrows, one of gold and one of lead. He pierces Apollo with the gold arrow causing him to fall in love with Daphne. Then he pierces Daphne with the arrow of lead causing her to fiercly repulse Apollo. So Daphne denies all of Apollo’s advances. When Apollo finally manages to catch up to Daphne, Daphne transforms into a Laurel tree the moment Apollo finally reaches her. Bernini’s statue depicts the very moment Daphne transforms into the Laurel tree before Apollo’s eyes. You can see the bark growing upwards from the Earth to cover Daphne’s stomach right as Apollo is about to make contact with her flesh. Her fingers are morphing into branches and leaves and her toes are becoming roots and the Laurel leaves between them keep them forever separated.
