Apollo and Daphne. Based on a model by Gianlorenzo Bernini (Naples, 1589-Rome, 1680). Bronze with a transparent hazelnut patina, 19th century. French foundry mark.

36 x 14 x 8 cm

The bronze group presented here reproduces one of Gianlorenzo Bernini's masterpieces, Apollo and Daphne.

The marble group was created between 1623 and 1625 on commission from Cardinal Scipione Borghese, when the sculptor was just twenty years old.
It is currently located in the Borghese Gallery in Rome.

Considered one of Bernini's most beautiful works from the very beginning, many attempted to emulate its forms by making copies in various materials.

The bronze presented here falls into this category, replicating the famous marble with some variations, for example in the laurel branches into which Daphne's hands are transforming and in the physiognomy of the faces.

Note the bronze version by Francesco Righetti (1749-1819), signed and dated 1791, which sold at an international auction with an estimate of 30,000-50,000 euros.

The group presented here remains a fine example of the Grand Tour taste, aimed at the reproduction of classical Italian sculptures, in vogue in the neoclassical era until the first decades of the 19th century.

Bibliography:
AAVV, Memories of the Ancient - Sculptures, Porcelains and Furnishings at the Time of the Grand Tour, Silvana Editoriale, Cinisello Balsamo, 2008, p.46.