Late 17th century, marble.

It was acquired for the Summer Garden in Rome in 1719 by Y. Kologrivov and was originally located in the Grotto pavilion.

“Cupid and Psyche” is one of the most artistically interesting works in the sculpture collection of the Summer Garden. The plot for it was a poetic legend about the love of the son of the goddess Venus, Cupid, for the beautiful girl Psyche.

The plot is taken from the work “Metamorphoses” by the ancient Roman author Apuleius (II century AD). In the presentation of Apuleius, Psyche was so beautiful that she aroused the jealousy of the goddess of beauty Venus, and she sent her son Cupid to her to inflict a wound on Psyche. But when Cupid saw such a beautiful girl, he, having fallen in love, did not harm her, but transferred her secretly from her mother to his chamber and visited her at night, in complete darkness, forbidding her to see her face. The insidious and envious sisters taught Psyche to break the ban, and she tried to examine her lover with the help of a nightlight.

The sculptor chose the climax of the mythological legend, when Psyche, with a lamp in her hand, in violation of the prohibition of the gods, leans towards her mysterious spouse. In a moment, a drop of hot oil falling from the lamp will wake Cupid, and he will leave Psyche in anger. The girl will have to endure many trials before she regains her beloved, and Jupiter, who takes pity on the lovers, will not give her wings and the immortality of the gods.

The name Psyche is Greek and means “soul”. In later times, the story of Cupid and Psyche was interpreted as an allegory of the wanderings of the human soul, seeking to merge with love.

Cupid, he is Eros, he is Eros, he is Cupid – the god of love.

For artists of the heyday of the Baroque, it became a rule to show in their works the most acute moments of the narrative, which gave them the opportunity to emphasize the intensity of human feelings.