Apollo en geliefde op bed 1740 - 1807

Filippo Morghen created this print titled 'Apollo en geliefde op bed' sometime between 1730 and 1807. Through the lens of eighteenth-century sensibilities, Morghen imagines a classical scene. The print depicts Apollo in an intimate embrace with a lover on a lavishly decorated bed, while another figure plays a lyre. In recasting classical subjects, Morghen participates in a long tradition of exploring themes of love, beauty, and desire. The erotic charge of this scene, its queerness, invites reflection on the construction and representation of sexuality, gender, and power within historical and cultural contexts. How might Morghen’s representation of Apollo and his lover challenge or reinforce prevailing social norms about sexuality during the 1700s? The artwork exists at the intersection of classical mythology, artistic interpretation, and societal attitudes toward love and desire.