Daphnis and Chloe at The Louvre, Paris

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Daphnis and Chloe is a renowned novel of Greek romance from the 2nd century AD penned by Longus. The story revolves around Daphnis, a boy, and Chloe, a girl, who are both abandoned at birth with identifying tokens. Lamon, a goatherd, discovers Daphnis, while Dryas, a shepherd, finds Chloe. Each decides to raise the child he finds as his own, nurturing them together to herd their respective flocks for their foster parents. As they grow up, Daphnis and Chloe develop strong feelings for each other but remain naive about what's happening. Philetas, an elderly cowherd, explains love to them and advises that kissing is the only cure. They take his advice, and eventually, Lycaenion, a city woman, educates Daphnis in matters of love-making. However, due to Lycaenion's warning that Chloe will scream, cry, and bleed heavily if Daphnis tests his new knowledge on her, Daphnis decides not to do so. Throughout the book, Chloe is pursued by various suitors, with two of them attempting to abduct her with varying degrees of success. She also gets carried off by raiders from a nearby city but is saved by Pan's intervention. Meanwhile, Daphnis falls into a pit, gets beaten up, and is nearly raped by pirates before ultimately being recognized by his birth parents, marrying Chloe, and living out their lives in the countryside. This marble sculpture, crafted by Jean-Pierre Cortot in 1827 for display at the Salon, depicts the moment when Daphnis plays a flageolet to Chloe. The artwork was showcased alongside a plaster model presented earlier in 1824.