This plate belongs to a large set of tableware commissioned by duke anne de montmorency (1493-1567) from the durantino workshop in 1535. The subject is taken from "the metamorphoses" by the 1st-century roman poet ovid. Cupid, god of erotic love, tricks the god apollo into falling in love with daphne, daughter of the river-god peneus. Apollo chases the frightened nymph until, when he is about to catch her, she comes to the river of her father (depicted here) and prays to him to save her. He changes her into a laurel tree, and the devastated apollo makes a vow forever to venerate the tree that was once daphne. The nymph was a traditional symbol of virtue. Date: 1535 (Renaissance). Place of creation: Urbino, Italy. Dimensions: 3.4 × 24.7 cm (1.3 × 9.7 in). Medium: earthenware. Collection: Walters Art Museum.
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