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Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0 · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileAn engraving depicting three scenes from the myth of Cupid and Psyche framed by heavy garlands of fruit and vegetables. On the left, a nude Venus gesticulates toward the draped figures of Juno and Ceres; in the center, a winged Cupid flies through the air bearing a shield and sword; on the right, Venus stands in a chariot pulled by white doves. The figures are rendered with classical proportions and dynamic poses against a blank background.
The story of Cupid and Psyche, sourced from Apuleius, was a central allegory in Renaissance Neoplatonism representing the soul's (Psyche) purification and ultimate union with Divine Love (Cupid). This cycle, originally designed by Raphael for the Villa Farnesina, serves as a major landmark in the humanists' use of classical myth to express complex philosophical concepts regarding the immortality of the soul.
VENVS ultioni intenta Psychen fugitivam a Iunone, ac Cerere requirit, de filio conquesta; cui faventibus Deabus, indignata discedit. VENVS frustra in terris Psychen inquirens, Coelum petit, aureum currum ascendens, iugum subeuntibus candidis Columbis. Devicto Marte, gladium, et clypeum Amor spoliis adiungit Martis bellipotentis gladium, et clypeum hic Veneris puer spoliis adiungit, victoque gloriatur victore Deo. Adstat Falco rapax, et equus Raphael Sanctius Vrbinas inventor. Nicolaus Dorigny delin. et inc.
Translation
Venus, intent on revenge, demands the fugitive Psyche from Juno and Ceres, complaining about her son; since the goddesses favor Psyche, Venus departs in indignation. Venus, searching for Psyche on earth in vain, seeks Heaven, ascending a golden chariot with white doves taking up the yoke. Having conquered Mars, Love adds the sword and shield to his spoils; here the boy of Venus adds the sword and shield of war-mighty Mars to his spoils, and glories in the victory over the victorious God. Nearby stands the rapacious falcon and the horse. Raphael Sanzio of Urbino, inventor. Nicolas Dorigny drew and engraved it.
Apuleius, The Golden Ass
The primary literary source for the narrative of Psyche's trials and her relationship with Venus and Cupid.
Marsilio Ficino
Ficino's Neoplatonic commentaries provided the intellectual framework for interpreting Psyche as a personification of the human soul.
Object
Oil on panel
mythological
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0
https://hdl.handle.net/1887.1/item:1630424
1969 × 1157 px
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3-flash-preview on April 2, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.