Daphne – A Riparian Mask 1994
When one makes a plea to the gods, Be careful of the plea, and, to whom it is made.
The boastful Apollo, struck by the golden arrow of an irate Eros, pursues the hapless nymph Daphne. She has been wounded by a leaden arrow from the same quiver and flees from love.
Hound after hare, “one made swift by hope and one by fear,” they rip through the woods until the desperate Daphne calls upon her father, a river god, who relieves her from her plight by transforming her into a Laurel tree.
At the moment of metamorphosis, this extreme return to nature, Daphne’s visage cries out her astonishment, her horror. To be freed from the enslavement of alluring flesh only to be encased in bark.
Behold the results: To be rooted on a riverbank, sprout leaves. Is this the only way for intuition to elude the intellect?
29”H x 9”W x 10”D
Materials: Finial leaves are of heavy cotton paper covered with embroidered satin, mounted on brass wires. Surface embellishments are of seed beads, cotton braid, interspersed with amber, jade, unakite beads,and mulberry bark. The mane is of braided raffia. Interior of mask — rayon brocade.
Inquire about purchasing this original on our contact page.
Click on image to view full screen.