Statuary Group of Cupid and Psyche

1852

STATUARY GROUP OF CUPID AND PSYCHE (Italian, 1852) by Giovanni Maria Benzoni (Italian, 1809-1873). Cupid is represented with leg aloft on the point of flying to heaven to carry to Venus, his mother, the "Box of Beauty" destined to calm Venus' anger against Psyche. The box is depicted as a lidded jar which Cupid holds overhead with both hands. At his feet lies an arrow, the sharp point of which recalled Psyche to life from the swoon into which she had fallen when she opened the box/vase given to her by Persephone. Psyche is shown caressing Cupid, trying to detain him by allurements and entreaties, having almost forgotten during her amorous trance, that Cupid was going to Heaven to obtain her immortality. In an allegorical sense, the passions of the human soul (under the guise of Psyche) are thus symbolic as hindrances to the attainment of eternal life. The original group, now in the collection of the Musee du Louvre, was commissioned by Antonio Bisleri of Milan in 1845. Eight replicas were made.

Italian

Italian Marble

4' in height

Gift of Hon. and Mrs. Claiborne Pell.

PSNC.10966