Loggia of Psyche (Villa Farnesina, Rome)

The vault is decorated as an outdoor pergola with thick garlands of fruit and flowers framing central scenes of the Council of the Gods and the Wedding Banquet. Various episodes from Psyche's trials and Cupid's interventions are shown in the surrounding spandrels against a bright blue sky. The figures are classically proportioned and arranged in complex, overlapping groups that suggest a divine assembly in the heavens.

Based on Apuleius’ 'Metamorphoses', this cycle is a cornerstone of Renaissance Neoplatonism, representing the soul's (Psyche) arduous journey, purification, and ultimate union with Divine Love (Cupid). It illustrates the intellectual synthesis of classical mythology and the philosophical concept of the soul’s ascent to immortality prevalent in the Roman humanist circles of the 16th century.