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Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0 · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileThis engraving reproduces a section of Raphael's fresco cycle in the Loggia di Psiche at the Villa Farnesina. The central figure of Mercury is depicted in mid-flight with his caduceus and winged sandals, while the surrounding spandrels contain putti holding a Bacchic thyrsus and Pan's syrinx. The entire scene is framed by heavy garlands of diverse fruits and vegetables, a hallmark of the original decorative scheme.
The narrative of Cupid and Psyche, drawn from Apuleius, was a central text for Renaissance Neoplatonists who viewed Psyche's trials and eventual union with Love as an allegory for the human soul's ascent to the divine. Mercury's role as the messenger and psychopomp connects the work to the Hermetic tradition, where he serves as the mediator between the earthly and celestial spheres.
Mercurius uocalis Deus ex Iouis mandato Deos omnes ad concionem conuocat de Cupidinis ac Pfyches coniugio fententiam laturi . Pennatus hic Veneris puer Bacchi exuvis superbit, trophaeum pampineis uvis insigne extollens, ebria Tygride insequente, huic Deo uitis unique conditori sacra. Panis ruralis Dei agrestes calamos puer alter exhibet, Auibus Noctuam illudentibus in ludi: brium huius Dei qui cum Apolline de cantu ausus est contendere. Raphael Sanctius Urbinas inuentor. Nicolaus Dorigny Gallus delin. et sculp. Romae ad Templum S. Mariae de Pace cum Priuil. Summi Pontificis et Sup. perm. Anno 1693.
Translation
Mercury, the eloquent God, by Jupiter's command summons all the Gods to the assembly to deliver their opinion on the marriage of Cupid and Psyche. This winged boy of Venus boasts of the spoils of Bacchus, raising high a trophy marked by vine-shoots and grapes, with a drunken tiger following, sacred to this God and the unique founder of the vine. Another boy displays the rustic reeds of Pan, the rural God, with birds mocking the Owl in sport: the disgrace of this God who dared to contend with Apollo in song. Raphael Sanzio of Urbino, inventor. Nicolas Dorigny, Frenchman, drew and engraved. Rome at the Temple of S. Maria della Pace with the privilege of the Supreme Pontiff and superior permission. In the year 1693.
Apuleius
His work 'The Golden Ass' (Metamorphoses) is the primary literary source for the myth of Cupid and Psyche depicted here.
Marsilio Ficino
Ficino's Neoplatonic commentaries on love and the soul's journey provided the philosophical framework for interpreting this myth in the Renaissance.
Object
Oil on panel
mythological
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0
http://hdl.handle.net/1887.1/item:1630598
1969 × 1179 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.