Landschap met Apollo en Daphne 1601 - 1652

Jan van Londerseel etched this landscape with Apollo and Daphne in the late 16th or early 17th century. Dominating the scene is the pursuit of Daphne by Apollo. This myth reminds us of the complex interplay between desire, transformation, and the natural world. The figure of Daphne, caught in the act of metamorphosis into a laurel tree, echoes through the ages. We might recall similar transformations in Ovid's *Metamorphoses*, where beings escape desire or punishment by merging with nature. But the laurel itself – what does it signify? Victory, poetry, eternal life. A symbol deeply interwoven with the cultural imagination of antiquity. Consider the emotional weight: Daphne's desperate flight and transformation. This evokes primal fears and desires, a powerful force that transcends time. It resurfaces in countless forms, each reflecting the anxieties and aspirations of its age. A continuous cycle, reminding us that the human drama of desire and transformation is perpetually reenacted.