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Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileThe gods are gathered at a long, curved table set upon a bank of clouds to celebrate the union of the god of love and the mortal princess. On the left, the Three Graces pour perfume over the assembly, while on the right, Ganymede serves nectar from a golden vessel. The scene is framed by a trompe-l'oeil tapestry border and heavy garlands of fruit, vegetables, and flowers that mimic a garden bower.
Based on the narrative in Apuleius' 'The Golden Ass', this scene represents the apotheosis of the soul (Psyche) and its marriage to Divine Love (Cupid). In the Neoplatonic tradition of the Renaissance, this was interpreted as the human soul's journey through earthly trials to achieve spiritual immortality and union with the divine.
Apuleius
The primary literary source for the myth of Cupid and Psyche is found in his 2nd-century work, The Golden Ass.
Marsilio Ficino
Ficino's Neoplatonic commentaries on love and the soul's ascent provided the philosophical framework for interpreting this myth in the Renaissance.
Object
Oil on panel
mythological
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
Le banquet nuptial dans la loggia d'Amour et de Psyché (Villa Farnesina, Rome)
2134 × 1200 px
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3-flash-preview on April 1, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.