Canova's 'Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss' at the Louvre: Masterpiece of Neoclassical Marble
Antonio Canova's marble sculpture, Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss, created between 1787 and 1793, illustrates the moment Cupid rouses Psyche from a deathlike slumber, drawing from Greek mythology. The tale begins with a prophecy stating that Psyche would outshine Aphrodite in beauty, leading the goddess to instruct Cupid to make her fall in love with the most unattractive creature. However, Cupid found himself enamored with Psyche. After Psyche inadvertently awakened him while forbidden to see his face, she was condemned to serve Aphrodite and tasked with retrieving a vial from Hades. Upon opening it, she succumbed to a fatal sleep, only to be revived by Cupid's kiss. Canova’s Neoclassical approach highlights elegant forms and gentle anatomy, influenced by ancient art and a Roman fresco.
Key facts
- Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss was made by Antonio Canova between 1787 and 1793
- The marble sculpture is held at the Louvre in Paris, France
- It depicts Cupid kissing Psyche awake from a deadly sleep caused by vapors from a vial from Hades
- Cupid is recognizable by his quiver and arrows and rests on the rock where Psyche lies unconscious
- Canova was born in the province of Treviso, then part of the Republic of Venice, and entered the Academy of Venice
- Canova moved to Rome in 1779 and led a large workshop there
- Theseus and the Minotaur, completed in 1782, was his first sculpted group in the Neoclassical style, inspired by the Torso of the Belvedere in the Vatican
- A visit to Herculaneum inspired the composition, based on a Roman painting of a crouching man leaning over a reclining woman
- The composition forms a stable pyramid with the legs as base and the wingtip as apex
- Canova used progressively finer rasps, leaving traces visible on the faces, and varied marble grain across the work
Entities
Artists
- Antonio Canova
- Cupid
- Psyche
- Aphrodite
- Kimberly Vardeman
- Ruislip Gardens
Institutions
- Louvre
- Academy of Venice
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- Vatican
- Wikimedia Commons
- DailyArt Magazine
- La Camara del Arte
- Artsy
Locations
- Paris
- France
- Treviso
- Republic of Venice
- Rome
- Herculaneum
- London
- United Kingdom
- Vatican
- Hades