Apollo and Daphne (Bernini)

Bernini's Apollo and Daphne, carved from 1622 to 1625 for Cardinal Scipione Borghese and still in the Galleria Borghese in Rome. It freezes the instant Apollo catches the nymph: his fingers meet bark instead of skin, her feet have already become roots, and her hands and hair are bursting into laurel branches and leaves. Bernini also varied the finish, so cloth, skin and bark each catch the light differently. Walk around it, because the story unfolds as you circle.