Apollo is splendidly depicted, with his wavy center-parted locks pulled back over the tips of his ears and fastened in a chignon at the nape of his neck. He is crowned with a wreath of laurels.
Apollo became associated with laurel after his unsuccessful pursuit of the nymph Daphne. According to myth, an enamored Apollo chased the nymph, and rather than be caught, Daphne turned herself into a laurel tree. Heartbroken, Apollo took to wearing a crown made from her leaves. Keeping in this tradition, laurel wreaths were given to victors at the Pythian games, which were held every four years at Delphi in Apollo's honor. For another laurel-crowned Apollo in Berlin, see no. 57 in A. Conze, Beschreibung der antiken Skulpturen mit Ausschluss der pergamenischen Fundstuck.