David used the story of Cupid and Psyche to explore the conflict between idealized love and physical reality. Cupid, lover of the beautiful mortal Psyche, visited her nightly on the condition that she not know his identity. Cupid was usually depicted as an ideal adolescent, but here David presents him as an ungainly teenager smirking at his sexual conquest. David took inspiration from a number of ancient texts, including an obscure, recently published Greek poem by Moschus that describes Cupid as a mean-spirited brat with flashing eyes and curly hair.
Credit: Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund
1817
Oil on canvas
184.2 x 241.6cm
1962.37
Image and text: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2024
Where you'll find this
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Permanent collection