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Cupid and Psyche
Jacques-Louis David, 1817
Jacques-Louis David finished this painting in 1817, late in his career. The story is the myth of Cupid and the mortal Psyche. Cupid visited her only at night, on condition that she never learn who he was.
Artists usually painted Cupid as an ideal, graceful adolescent. David does something different. His Cupid is gangly and smirks, lying beside a sleeping Psyche as if pleased with himself. The Cleveland Museum says David wanted to explore the clash between idealised love and physical reality. For his image of Cupid he drew on ancient writing, including a recently published Greek poem by Moschus that describes the god as a spiteful brat with flashing eyes and curly hair.
The result is a classical subject treated with a sly sense of humour, which is not what David is best known for.
From the museum record
| Artist | Jacques-Louis David |
|---|---|
| Date | 1817 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Size | Unframed: 184.2 x 241.6 cm |
| Museum | The Cleveland Museum of Art |
| Credit line | Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund |
| Accession number | 1962.37 |
| Licence | Open Access (CC0) |
Source: The Cleveland Museum of Art collection record. Facts such as dates, sizes and credit lines come from that record. The write-up above was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the museum record and standard references. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
