Tuscan School Artist, Apollo and Daphne, Oil on Canvas

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Oil on canvas. 18th-century Tuscan School. The large scene tells the tragic story of Apollo and Daphne, recounted in Ovid's … Read more Oil on canvas. 18th-century Tuscan School. The large scene tells the tragic story of Apollo and Daphne, recounted in Ovid's Metamorphoses. According to myth, the god Apollo, having mocked Cupid, is struck by him with an arrow of love, causing him to fall in love with the nymph Daphne, who is instead struck by a leaden arrow, capable of ending their love. Apollo, struck by the arrow, falls madly in love with Daphne and runs toward her, but the nymph rejects the god and flees. To avoid capture, Daphne asks her father Peneus, eponymous god of the river Peneus, to transform her so she will not have to submit to Apollo. Peneus listens to her request and when Apollo is about to grab her, Daphne transforms into a laurel tree, a plant that from that moment on becomes sacred to the god. The work shows in some parts similarities to the pictorial methods of Giuseppe Zocchi (1711-1767), to whom the author probably looked in particular in the representation of the trees and vegetation. The canvas shows several losses of paint, especially in the lower left, and a series of holes (of different sizes along the edges and in the center) caused by previous nails placed for reinforcement. Framed. This piece is attributed to the mentioned designer/maker. It has no attribution mark and no
official proof of authenticity,
however it is well documented in design history. I take full responsibility for any authenticity



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