Bernini's Apollo and Daphne - Masterpiece Series

Bring one of the most dynamic and celebrated sculptures in history into your home.

This is a 3D printable reproduction of Gian Lorenzo Bernini's baroque masterpiece, "Apollo and Daphne", originally sculpted between 1622 and 1625 and housed in the Galleria Borghese in Rome.

The Story Behind the Sculpture:

This dramatic sculpture captures the climax of a mythological tale from Ovid's Metamorphoses. Apollo, the god of music and prophecy, was struck by an arrow of pure gold, causing him to fall obsessively in love with the nymph Daphne. Daphne, however, was struck by an arrow of lead, making her repulsed by love.

As shown in the sculpture, Apollo pursues a terrified Daphne. Just as he is about to catch her, she prays to her father, the river god Peneus, for help. At that very instant, her transformation begins: her fingers sprout into leaves, her arms into branches, and her feet are rooted to the ground as bark starts to envelop her body. Bernini captured this split-second, impossible moment of metamorphosis with breathtaking detail, showing the tension, the motion, and the emotional despair.

Print Notes: This model has been refined for 3D printing to preserve the intricate details of Bernini's work while remaining printable. Due to the complex nature of the figures and the organic elements (the leaves and branches), this model requires support material.

The supports are very delicate to remove, especially where Daphne's fingers become leaves. Be patient and gentle.

It is an ideal piece for showcase prints in a single color or as a paintable project to highlight the dramatic forms.

The model can be scaled as you like, the larger it is the more defined it will be and it will also be easier to remove the supports.
If you scale up, consider increasing the support resistance by increasing the "Support Walls loops" to at least 2.

If printed with Marble PLA, it will really look its best. Unfortunately, I don't have that available, so I printed with gray PLA.

I hope you enjoy this model as much as I enjoyed creating and printing it!
If you print it, don't forget to upload your photos, I'm eager to see your creations!
Just a reminder: I share these models not for profit, but out of passion, for my collection of miniatures, and to keep my printer busy while trying to push the technical capabilities of the A1 Mini to the limit.

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