Apollo en Leucothea. NL-HlmNHA 1477 53010780

This engraving depicts the sun god Apollo, identifiable by the radiant light around his head and his lyre on the floor, as he climbs into the bed of the mortal princess Leucothea. In the background, a distaff leans against a wall, referencing Leucothea’s spinning, while heavy drapery frames the intimate encounter. The scene captures the moment Apollo enters her chamber, a narrative that leads to the jealousy of his former lover Clytie and Leucothea's eventual transformation.

As part of Goltzius's series of illustrations for Ovid's Metamorphoses, this work reflects the Renaissance humanist project of interpreting classical myths as moral and philosophical allegories. Apollo represents the Sun and the governing light of reason, and his interactions with mortals were often read through Neoplatonic lenses concerning the soul's descent into the material world.