Cupid and Psyche (1574): Art, History and Details

Cupid and Psyche (1574) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Giorgio Ghisi (Italian, 1520–1582); Giulio Romano (Italian, 1492/99–1546).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Crowned with laurel wreaths, Cupid and Psyche recline on a couch with their daughter Voluptas between them. Ceres, goddess of fertility and abundance, pours water on Cupid’s hand. The scene is derived from a story by Apuleius (about AD 124–170) narrating Psyche’s adventures leading up to her marriage to Cupid. The rich contrasts of light and shadow that Ghisi achieved in this engraving make this print especially sensual and luxurious. It reflects his later style and the different textures he was able to achieve in human bodies, silky drapery, and lush foliage.

Object facts

• Title: Cupid and Psyche
• Date: 1574
• Creator attribution: Giorgio Ghisi (Italian, 1520–1582); Giulio Romano (Italian, 1492/99–1546)
• Culture: Italy
• Type: Print
• Technique: engraving
• Dimensions: Sheet: 36 x 23.4 cm (14 3/16 x 9 3/16 in.)
• Collection: PR - Engraving
• Department: Prints
• Accession number: 1980.94

Collection credit

Norman O. Stone and Ella A. Stone Memorial Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• Lee, Sherman E. “The Year in Review for 1980.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 68, no. 6 (June 1981): 163–219.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.