Antonio del Pollaiolo provided Apollo and Daphne, c. 1470-1480, housed in the National Gallery in London. Daphne was a gracing from God. Apollo fell in love with her idealized beauty. It is almost the goddess within turning Daphne into a tree, the tree of life, the tree of philosophy, growth and a divine goddess. Diana looks after all woman from gods alike. In Pollaiolo's interpretation, Daphne appears like the river goddess appearing like the spring of love. God suggesting he needed to find a wife. Daphne turns into a laurel tree. The sacred tree of knowledge connects Heaven to the underworld gods. The heavenly way through the garden of love, the garden of the heart, takes you to the flowers of the deeper earth levels to God, heart deep.
