Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss
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| Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss |
| Antonio Canova, 1787-1793, 1800-1803 |
| White marble, height 155 cm, 61 in |
| Paris, Louvre;Saint Petersburg, Hermitage Museum |
Antonio Canova's statue Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss, first commissioned in 1787, exemplifies the Neoclassical obsession with love and emotion. It represents the god Cupid in the height of love and tenderness, right after awakening the lifeless Psyche with a kiss, a scene excerpted from Lucius Apuleius' The Golden Ass. A masterpiece of its period, it appeals to the senses of sight and touch, yet simultaneously alludes to the Romantic interest in emotion co-existing with Neoclassicism. Joachim Murat donated the first version (pictured) to the Louvre Museum in Paris, France in 1824; Prince Yusupv in Rome in 1796 gave a later version (created in 1796) to the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg.
