Apollo pursuing Daphne, whose toes take the form of tree roots, a round composition, reverse copy after a series of engravings by Cherubino Alberti of mythological scenes after Polidoro da Caravaggio

Art Historical Context

This enchanting engraving captures the dramatic climax of the ancient myth of Apollo and Daphne, drawn from Ovid's *Metamorphoses As the sun god Apollo pursues the nymph Daphne in a fervent chase, her toes transform into twisting tree roots, heralding her metamorphosis into a laurel tree to escape his grasp. Rendered in a striking round composition—a tondo format evoking Renaissance medallions—this scene pulses with movement and emotion, highlighting the era's fascination with classical mythology. Created around 1550–1600 an anonymous reverse copy after Cherubino Alberti's engravings, which t...

About the Artist

Anonymous|Cherubino Alberti (Zaccaria Mattia)|Polidoro da Caravaggio|Samuel Sympson

In the vast tapestry of art history, "Anonymous" stands not as a singular individual but as a collective designation for countless unidentified creators whose works have endured across millennia. These artists, spanning prehistoric cave painters to medieval illuminators and folk craftsmen, produced the foundational layers of human visual culture. Prior to the Renaissance, when individual fame emer...