Prud'hon's drawing replicates his 1808 painting The Abduction of Psyche which he exhibited at the Salons of 1808 and 1814. The painting was acquired by the Italian connoisseur and collector, the Count of Sommariva. It is now in the Louvre. In 1824, the printmaker Hyacinthe Aubrey-Lecomte published a lithograph after the painting. The Minneapolis drawing most likely served as a model for the lithographer.
The subject is based on the novel The Golden Ass by the 2nd century Roman writer Apuleius. Psyche was renowned for her ravishing beauty which incurred the envy of Venus, who sent her son Cupid to make her rival fall in love with a hideous beast. Psyche was abandoned on a desolate rock to await her monstrous lover. However, Cupid himself succumbed to Psyche's charms and ultimately became her husband. The drawing depicts Psyche born aloft from the rock by Zephyrs (wind gods) and transported to the magnificent palace of Cupid. This tale was popular with artists during the Empire Period.
cxd
<P>Prud'hon's drawing replicates his 1808 painting The Abduction of Psyche which he exhibited at the Salons of 1808 and 1814. The painting was acquired by the Italian connoisseur and collector, the Count of Sommariva. It is now in the Louvre. In 1824, the printmaker Hyacinthe Aubrey-Lecomte published a lithograph after the painting. The Minneapolis drawing most likely served as a model for the lithographer.</P><P>The subject is based on the novel The Golden Ass by the 2nd century Roman writer Apuleius. Psyche was renowned for her ravishing beauty which incurred the envy of Venus, who sent her son Cupid to make her rival fall in love with a hideous beast. Psyche was abandoned on a desolate rock to await her monstrous lover. However, Cupid himself succumbed to Psyche's charms and ultimately became her husband. The drawing depicts Psyche born aloft from the rock by Zephyrs (wind gods) and transported to the magnificent palace of Cupid. This tale was popular with artists during the Empire Period.</P>
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