The story of daphne is told by the roman poet ovid (43 bc-ad 17) in "the metamorphoses. " cupid, god of love, shot the god apollo with a gold-tipped arrow, kindling his love for the nymph daphne, but cupid shot her with one tipped with lead, stifling love. Pursued by apollo, daphne prayed to her father, a river god, to save her, and she was transformed into a laurel tree. Ovid's tales were popular for their eroticism. In addition, the idea of metamorphosis, a fundamental, divinely sanctioned change of state, offered a way of thinking about the creative act, as in the transformation of a chunk of copper ore into a bronze statuette. Jacques laudin, who monogrammed this plaque, adapted the composition from an engraving of 1589 after a drawing by the dutch artist hendrick goltzius. The frame is original. Date: circa 1650 (Baroque). Place of creation: Limoges, France. Dimensions: height: 16 cm (6.2 in); width: 20.6 cm (8.1 in). Medium: brass, painted enamel and gilded copper. Collection: Walters Art Museum. Jacques Laudin I - Plaque with Apollo and Daphne - Walters 44280
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