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About This Work
This engraving records the frescoed spandrels and pendentives of the Loggia di Psiche at the Villa Farnesina. In the left scene, Psyche returns from the underworld to present a golden box to Venus, while on the right, Jupiter consoles a youthful Cupid with a kiss. The figures are framed by heavy, naturalistic garlands of fruit and vegetables, with a central group of putti triumphantly carrying the massive club of Hercules.
The narrative of Cupid and Psyche, derived from Apuleius, was interpreted by Renaissance Neoplatonists as an allegory for the human soul's (Psyche) journey through earthly suffering and purification to achieve divine union with Love (Cupid). This specific cycle in the Villa Farnesina represents the height of Roman humanism, blending classical mythology with philosophical meditations on immortality.