GALLERIA BORGHESE, Bernini-Apollo And Daphne_Room 3

You should know that, of the splendid Bernini sculptures on display in this museum, Apollo and Daphne is considered his foremost masterpiece.

If you are not familiar with the myth to which the work refers, I will briefly summarize it for you.

Apollo made the mistake of showing off in front of Cupid who, rather temperamental, decided to take revenge by playing a cruel trick on him. He shot Apollo with a golden arrow to make him fall in love with the first unfortunate woman that came his way, namely poor Daphne, and then pierced the latter with a lead arrow to prevent her from reciprocating anyone's love.

Let us say that perhaps the cruelest subject in this story was Cupid who, in order to take his revenge, did not calculate the side effects, as the real victim in the end was Daphne. The girl, in fact, terrified of Apollo whose love she could not accept, asked her father Peneus, a river goddess, to change her form and she was turned into a laurel plant....