Farnesina Loggia di Psiche. 03

The frescoed vaulting features Mercury wearing his winged cap alongside Psyche as they ascend against a brilliant blue sky. Below them, winged putti interact with animals and divine attributes, such as one riding a lion, all framed by thick, illusionistic garlands of fruits and vegetables. The scene is part of a larger narrative cycle designed to transform the loggia into a celestial garden arbor.

The cycle illustrates the myth of Cupid and Psyche from Apuleius' 'The Golden Ass,' which Renaissance humanists interpreted as a Neoplatonic allegory for the soul's (Psyche) arduous journey and eventual deification. It represents the intersection of classical Roman literature and the Neoplatonic philosophy regarding the immortality and purification of the human spirit.