Apollo and Daphne Michele Rocca (1666-1751)

Michele Rocca known as the "Parmigianino"
(Parma 1666- Venice 1751)
Pair of Mythological Scenes

1) "Apollo and Daphne"
Oil painting on canvas
Measures cm. 97 x 72
Frame cm. 105 x 80
Very good condition

Magnificent pair of paintings depicting two of the most fascinating scenes of Greek and Roman mythology.
The Myth of Apollo and Daphne is narrated in the "Metamorphosis" of Apuleius and tells the tormented love story between the two protagonists.
She, the beautiful Nymph of the Naiads, protector of rivers, falls in love with Apollo, God of the Arts, one of the most loved and feared of Olympus.
After a quarrel between Him and Cupid, the God of Love decides to take revenge and hits Apollo with the golden arrow of love and Daphne with the lead one of hatred. To escape from Apollo who was chasing her maddened by love, the Nymph called to her father Peneus God of the River and her mother of her Gea Goddess of the Earth, who transformed her into a beautiful laurel tree, separating forever the two in love with her.
From that day the laurel became a sacred plant and encircled Apollo's head becoming a symbol of glory.

The canvas is painted in a masterly way and the characters depicted are divided into two groups.
On the left Apollo manages to grab Daphne who is now turning into a tree with her hands branched and roots at her feet, observed by her father Peneus of her by the river. On the right, two splendid Naiad Nymphs with their feet in the water observe the scene.
The composition is particularly successful and the nudity of the elegant figures stand out in an excellent way in the setting rich in lights and shadows of the river undergrowth.
The works are to be attributed to the talented Parmesan master Michele Rocca whose workshop specialized in the creation of historical and mythological paintings that are always very complex and scenographic.