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Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0 · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original filePsyche ascends through the sky holding a pyxis, the final task set by Venus before her deification. To her left, a putto carries the ram-horned helmet of Alexander the Great, while to her right, another winged figure rests within a massive shield. The scene is framed by a heavy, naturalistic garland of fruits and vegetables, typical of the decorative borders in the Villa Farnesina.
The myth of Cupid and Psyche, sourced from Apuleius, was a cornerstone of Renaissance Neoplatonism, symbolizing the human soul's (Psyche's) arduous journey, purification, and eventual union with Divine Love. This specific episode represents the soul overcoming the terrors of the underworld to reclaim its divine nature.
E scaturigine fontis atri rorem Stygium Vasculo inclusum Psyche per aera uecta Veneri obsequens refert. Magni Alexandri Iovis Ammonis Filij arietinam cassidem, et clypeum puer extollit, cui subiacet Falco rapax, et Auiculae rostro Papilionem discerpunt. Heroum, insigniumque Ducum arma geminant trophaea Cupidinis uictoris Deorum, hominumque Raphael Sanctius Urbinas inventor 7 Nicolaus Dorigny Gallus delin. et sculp. Romae ex Officina Dominici de Rubeis ad Templum S. Mariae de Pace cum Privil. Summi Pontificis et Sup. perm. Anno 1693.
Translation
Psyche, carried through the air, brings back the Stygian dew enclosed in a small vessel from the spring of the dark fountain, in obedience to Venus. A boy holds up the ram-horned helmet and shield of Alexander the Great, son of Jupiter Ammon, beneath whom lies a predatory falcon, and small birds tear apart a butterfly with their beaks. The arms of heroes and distinguished leaders redouble the trophies of Cupid, victor over Gods and men. Raphael of Urbino, inventor. [Plate] 7. Nicolas Dorigny, Frenchman, drew and engraved this. Rome, from the workshop of Domenico de Rossi at the Church of Santa Maria della Pace, with the privilege of the Supreme Pontiff and superior permission, Year 1693.
Apuleius, The Golden Ass (Metamorphoses)
The primary literary source for the trials of Psyche, which were interpreted allegorically by Renaissance Neoplatonists.
Marsilio Ficino
Ficino's Neoplatonic commentaries popularized the view of Psyche as an allegory for the immortal soul's ascent.
Object
Oil on panel
mythological
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0
http://hdl.handle.net/1887.1/item:1631056
1969 × 1172 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.