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Apollo and Daphne, plate
(1550-1580)
Medium
earthenware (maiolica)
Measurements
6.0 × 44.6 cm diameter
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Felton Bequest, 1939
Gallery location
16th & 17th Century Gallery - Painting and Sculpture
Mezzanine linked to Level 1, NGV International
About this work
This dish is an example of ‘Faenza white’ maiolica, an innovative product with a thick white glaze, painted in a sketchy fashion, which became highly popular from the 1540s onwards. Although it was Faenza potters who made this ware an international success, it was actually produced in a wide range of potteries across Italy. The plate depicts Apollo pursuing the nymph Daphne with whom he had fallen in love. To escape the god’s unwanted attentions Daphne was transformed into a laurel tree by her father, the river god Peneus.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
Faenza, Italy
Accession Number
4558-D3
Department
International Decorative Arts
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of Digitisation Champion Dame Carol Colburn-Grigor CBE through Metal Manufactures Limited