Type: Limited edition prints
Size: 48cm x 33cm
Tirage: 50 copies
A pencil drawing of the statuette by Canova of “Apollo crowning himself”, made in 1881-82, 84.7cm high, now in the J.Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles.
“As Ovid told the story in his Metamorphoses, when the beautiful nymph Daphne finally escaped the pursuing him by turning into a laurel tree, the Roman god of music and poetry pledged his unrequited love: "Although you cannot be my wife, you shall at least be my tree; I shall always wear you on my hair, on my quiver, O Laurel." In this marble, half-life-size statue inspired by this episode of the Metamorphoses, Apollo crowns himself with a laurel wreath.
Nude except for sandals, his lyre hangs on the tree trunk that supports a piece of rumpled drapery. He stands in contrapposto, a balanced stance characterized by the opposition of straight and bent limbs, in a moment of reflection after the dramatic chase.
Apollo's nudity, his broad, muscular chest, and his relaxed, balanced pose all recall famous antique representations of the god. But while Canova clearly emulated several antiques, his Apollo is not a copy of an already existing statue.
