After Giulio Romano - Mercury transporting Psyche to Olympus c.1853-76

Mercury is depicted as a muscular figure wearing his characteristic winged hat, looking back toward Psyche as he leads her through the clouds. Psyche follows with her arms crossed over her chest and her gaze directed upward, signifying her transition from the mortal to the divine realm. This work is a 19th-century copy of a composition originally designed for the Loggia di Psiche in the Villa Farnesina.

The myth of Psyche was interpreted by Renaissance Neoplatonists as an allegory for the human soul’s journey and ultimate purification. Mercury appears here as a psychopomp, the celestial guide who facilitates the soul's return to the divine source.