Cupid and Psyche

Artist/Maker

DatesMade: Made 1787

Material / Technique

Dimensionsh: Mått 159 cm

Inventory numberNMSk 359

AcqusitionTransferred 1866 from Kongl.Museum

Other titlesTitle (sv): Amor och Psyke Title (en): Cupid and Psyche Label (en): Amor and Psyche

DescriptionDescription: The love goddess Venus has sent her son Amor to punish her rival Psyche, but Amor falls in love with the beautiful princess. Psyche is prevented from seeing him, however, and suspects that he is a monster. In the light of an oil lamp she discovers that her sleeping lover is a beautiful youth, but she accidentally splashes oil on him, waking him up. This is the moment captured in the sculpture. The story is one of the Roman author Apuleius’ tales. Inventory description: Johan Tobias Sergel has sculpted the Greek god of love Cupid and the woman Psyche. Psyche means soul in Greek. Psyche kneels at Cupid's side. She has just revealed his secret, that he really is Cupid, god of love. Whereupon Cupid wants to fly away from her and starts to spread his wings. Psyche asks him to stay, but he pushes her away. The story about Cupid and Psyche comes from the ancient greek time. The story is about impossible love, and about the fight for love. The story shows that the power of love is stronger than both gods and men. The sculptor Johan Tobias Sergel lived between 1740-1814. He often made sculptures and pictures of stories from the ancient greek times. Lord of the Cupid and Psyche comes from a book called "The golden donkey" written by the Roman Lucius Apuleius. The story is actually a folk tale, which comes in several different versions. In Sweden, the Prince Hat under the earth is one version of the story. Catalogue raisonné: New research has shown that the sculpture was completed 1787.

Exhibited

Collection

Geographical origin

MaterialCarrara marble (Stone, Marble)

Object category