Important objects - Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien
Important objects - Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien
Important objects - Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien
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APOLLO APOLLO AND AND DAPHNE<br />
DAPHNE<br />
Jakob Auer (c. 1645 - 1706)<br />
Vienna, c. 1688/90<br />
© Vienna, <strong>Kunsthistorisches</strong> <strong>Museum</strong>, inv.-no. KK 4537<br />
In his Metamorphoses, Ovid tells of the nymph, Daphne, whom Diana saves from Apollo’s<br />
amorous advances by turning her into a laurel tree. Jacob Auer’s starting point was<br />
Bernini’s celebrated marble group but his for him the story is mainly an excuse for virtuoso<br />
carving. The smooth perfection of the two bodies and the elaborate carving of foliage and<br />
draperies emphasise the decorative virtuoso qualities of this show-piece that perfectly<br />
documents the artist’s ability to transcend the tusk’s natural form.<br />
Various 17th and 18th century travel diaries single out this group from the host of ivory<br />
works in the Imperial treasury.
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