Reference No.: 78J/ 2752

Origin: France - Paris

Period: 17th century

Origin: Private Collection

Composition: Wool and silk and silver yarn

Dimension: L 285 x H320

Tapestry of Ovid's Metamorphoses - Daphne

Exceptional tapestry from the Parisian workshop finely woven in the 17th century in wool, silk and silver thread according to Poërson's cardboard.

The dimensions are original and a richly decorated border frames this magnificent tapestry.

In Greek mythology, Daphne (in Greek Δάφνη / Dáphnê, meaning "laurel") is a nymph of great beauty. According to ancient sources, she is either the daughter of the river god of Thessaly Penea and the Creuse naiad, of Ladon, or of Penea and Gaia1.

Her myth is subject to many interpretations, however the most famous one is that she and the god Apollo were touched by Cupid's arrows. Apollo therefore pursued Daphne from his assiduity until he was exhausted. Daphne begs her father to help her: he turns her into a laurel to defeat Apollo.

From then on, Apollo worshipped the laurel. During the Pythic Games, held every four years in Delphi in honour of Apollo, laurel wreaths gathered in the Tempé Valley were distributed as prizes. It then became a symbol of victory for generals, athletes, poets and musicians. The winning poet is a good modern example of this prize, which, although dating from the Italian Renaissance, is still distributed in some English-speaking countries. According to Pausanias le Périégète, "the tradition that assumes that Apollo was in love with Daphne, daughter of the Ladon, is, I believe, the only reason why, in pythic games, the laurel wreath was adopted for the winners "1.

Most artistic representations of this myth focus on the moment of Daphne's transformation

Les Métamorphoses (in Latin Metamorphōseōn librī, "Books of Metamorphoses") is a long Latin poem by Ovid, whose composition probably begins in year 1. The work includes 15 books (nearly twelve thousand verses) written in dactylic hexameters and includes several hundred short stories on the theme of metamorphoses from Greek and Roman mythology, organized according to a complex structure and often intertwined. The general structure of the poem follows a chronological progression, from the creation of the world to the time when the author lived, that is, the reign of Emperor Augustus.

Famous since antiquity, the poem has become a classic of Latin literature translated throughout the world and has known an abundant posterity up to the present day. It has generated many comments and analyses and has inspired many artists from antiquity to the present day.

Proud of his achievement, Apollo mocks Cupid who, to get revenge, sends an arrow to the god to make him fall in love and one to the nymph Daphne "to drive away love". Apollo then tries to convince her not to resist him, then tries to take her by force, but Daphne then transforms herself, thanks to her father Penea, into a laurel.

"Penaeus Nymph, please, stop it! It's not an enemy chasing you. Stop it, nymph, stop it! The sheep flees from the wolf, the deer from the lion, and the scrapie from the dove flies before the eagle; everyone flees from his enemy. But it's love that precipitates me in your footsteps. Unfortunate that I am! Be careful not to fall! May these cruel thorns not hurt your delicate feet! May I not be a cause of pain for you! The trails where you run are rough and difficult. Ah ! please, moderate your speed, slow down your escape, and I'll slow down myself. At least know the one who loves you. He is not a savage mountain dweller or a hideous shepherd keeping oxen and sheep. Careless, you don't know who you're running from, you don't know it, and that's why you're running away. (...)

Jupiter is my father. My mouth reveals to mortals the future, the past, the present. They owe me the art of uniting the lyre with the voice. My arrows are sure of their shots. Alas! There is an even safer one that pierced my heart. I am the inventor of medicine. The world honors me as a helping god, and the power of plants is without mystery to me, but is there one that heals from love? My art, useful to all men, is, alas, impotent for myself!"

"Ah! Since you cannot become Apollo's wife, be his tree at least. May your foliage now crown my hair, my lyre and my quiver. You will be the ornament of the warriors of Lazio, when in the midst of songs of victory and joy, the Capitol will see their triumphal procession advancing. And just as my long hair, symbol of youth, will always be respected by scissors and years, I also want to adorn your foliage with an eternal spring.

The transformation of Daphne into a painter

The Metamorphoses were also a major source of inspiration in painting, from the Renaissance, the Baroque and up to the contemporary period; most of the major painters who worked on these themes, from Diego Velasquez, Pierre Paul Rubens) to the 20th century with Salvador Dalí (Metamorphosis of Narcissus) and Pablo Picasso (Illustration of Metamorphoses by the artist).

Apollo and Daphne by Piero Pollaiuolo, 1470-80 (National Gallery, London

Apollo and Daphne by Paul Veronese, 1560-65 (San Diego Art Museum

Apollo and Daphne by Pierre Paul Rubens, 1636 (Bonnat-Helleu Museum, Bayonne

Apollo and Daphne by Nicolas Poussin, 1661-1664 (Musée du Louvre, Paris

Music: Georg Friedrich Haendel - Daphne (see video in photo album)

Our house assures you the sale of a tapestry with invoice and approved expertise, well cleaned, in good condition with its fixing system. If necessary, we will inform you of the work that has been done. All our tapestries can be presented to you at your home in France and neighbouring countries before your final decision.