Apollo and Daphne
1796â98
Medium
figures
Classification
figures
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Museum purchase through gift of various donors
Accession Number
1901-39-3237
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Felice Giani's *Apollo and Daphne* (1796–98) captures timeless moment from Ovid's *Metamorphoses*, where the god Apollo pursues the nymph Daphne, who transforms into a laurel to escape his advances. This Italian Neoclassical artist (1758–1823), renowned for his elegant interpretations of classical mythology, crafted these figures during a period of renewed fascination with ancient Rome and Greece amid the late Enlightenment. Executed as sculptural figures—likely small-scale models or bozzetti in a medium typical of Giani's preparatory work—the piece exemplifies Neoclassicism's emphasis on ide...