Apollo and the Serpent Python (from Set of Ovid's Metamorphoses)

Apollo’s dynamic posture with his right arm pulled back and his left holding a bow indicates that he has just shot the arrow piercing the snarling serpent’s throat and body. Apollo’s triumph over powerful Python, the fearsome serpent offspring of Mother Earth or Gaia, boosted his ego tremendously, leading to his tragically unsuccessful pursuit of Daphne. The regally dressed hunter and his prey are seen alone in an environment teeming with natural life that includes a pumpkin patch. In the creation of this textile, the manufacturer used blue and yellow dye to create the color green which has since degraded, causing the pumpkins and their leaves to appear blue.

A horizontally oriented tapestry depicts Apollo, a man with a light skin tone, on our left while a winged serpent sits near a pool on our right. Apollo stands on a rock wearing a pink robe and holding a bow. Behind spreads a forest of muted green and brown trees overlooking a distant landscape. A decorative red and gold border surrounds the scene. Some of the original vibrancy of the tapestry has faded.

Apollo and the Serpent Python (from Set of Ovid's Metamorphoses)

1700–1730

Gobelins Manufactory, Nicolas Bertin

(France, Paris, est. 1662), (French, 1668–1736)

France, 18th century

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