The Dramatic Image: Baroque Prints of the 17th Century

After Charles Le Brun
French, 1619–1690

Fontaine d’Apollon et de Daphnè
(Fountain of Apollo and Daphne) from Recueil de divers Desseins de Fontaines et de Frises Maritimes
(A Collection of Designs for Fountains and Maritime Frieze Sculptures)

Engraving, about 1680
Museum Purchase, 1967.128f

Daphne, a beautiful nymph, is shown in the act of transforming into a tree to escape the amorous god Apollo. Water sprays from the leaves that sprout from Daphne’s fingers in this inventive idea for a fountain.