Apollo pursuing Daphne- Daphne

myminifactory

The sculpture group of Daphne (by Guillaume I Coustou) and Apollo (by Nicolas Coustou) vividly illustrates a pivotal passage from Ovid's Metamorphoses, where the nymph Daphne is desperately pursued by the sun god and transformed into a laurel tree to evade his grasp. Placed in the center of ornamental ponds at Marly around 1713-14, each statue was a masterpiece of French sculpture during the late reign of Louis XIV. The statues were installed in a grove within the Tuileries Gardens from 1798 to 1940, showcasing their enduring appeal and artistic significance. The sculpture group depicts a passage from Ovid's Metamorphoses, recounting the transformation of gods and mortals into animals or plants. For having mocked Cupid, Apollo was struck by a golden arrow, causing him to fall desperately in love with Daphne; however, Cupid then fired an arrow of lead at the nymph, prompting her to spurn his affection. The scorned sun god began a frantic pursuit of Daphne, who fled as fast as she could. Just as he caught up with her, she was transformed into a laurel tree. From that moment on, the laurel (Daphne, in Greek) became Apollo's favorite tree. These statues were two of four running figures commissioned by the administration of the king's buildings for the park at Marly, alongside the Hippomenes by Guillaume I Coustou and the Atalanta by Pierre Lepautre. Each statue was positioned on a pedestal in the center of an ornamental pond (Bassins des Carpes) around 1713-14: the running figures appear to be leaping above the water. A watercolor drawing in the Archives Nationales in Paris reveals how they were arranged - designed to echo each other's movements and meet each other's eyes. They were installed in a grove within the Tuileries Gardens from 1798 to 1940, before entering the Louvre. The sculptures are representative of the evolution of sculpture during the late reign of Louis XIV. The majesty and colossal dimensions of Versailles' statuary gave way to sculptures that were full of movement and smaller in size (these examples are slightly smaller than life-size). In contrast to the pomp of Versailles, Marly represented the freedom of rural life; dignity gave way to naturalism. The vigorous modeling and dynamic movement of these sculptures recall Bernini's virtuoso work on the same theme in 1625 (Villa Borghese, Rome). However, whereas Bernini sculpted the moment of transformation, the Coustou brothers chose to portray the prodigious speed of the desperate chase. Apollo is almost toppled forward, intent on his goal, with his body forming a diagonal with his outstretched arm and leg. His speed is also expressed by his billowing drapery and windblown hair. Daphne is about to be caught, and shows her fear: her expression is theatrical and her body looks dislocated, its limbs in all directions. She reaches out imploringly, the disarray of her tunic reflecting her plight. A tree trunk stabilizes the sculptures - a remarkable technical feat given the fragility of marble. These statues embody the impetuousness of Roman Baroque without its dramatic strength. Their slender elegance and vivacity suggest the emergence of rocaille, the graceful decorative style that emerged in early 18th-century France.