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Original fileMercury, identifiable by his winged hat and sandals, guides Psyche upward toward her divine marriage. In the surrounding spandrels, putti carry the hammer and tongs of Vulcan and ride a lion and sea-horse, representing the power of Love over the gods and the elements. The scene is framed by a heavy garland of fruit and foliage typical of the Villa Farnesina decorations.
The myth of Psyche was a central Neoplatonic allegory during the Renaissance, symbolizing the human soul's journey, purification through trials, and final ascent to divine union. The inclusion of the salamander, a symbol of fire, and the taming of elemental beasts reflects the philosophical theme of 'Amor Vincit Omnia' (Love conquers all) across the natural and celestial realms.
Iouis mandato Psyche per mercurium arrepta ab ipso in Coelum perducitur, ad nuptias cum suo Cupidine . Inter Deorum spolia ducuntur in pompa Vulcani forfices, et malleus ignipotente Deo victo Cupidinis igne . Leonem, et marinum equum frenat ferarum domitor Amor, utriusq' elementi Terrae, marisq' dominus . Salamandra flammis illesa eiusdem Dei est index . Raphael Sanctius Urbinas inventor. Romae ex Chalcographia Dominici de Rubeis heredis Io: Iacobi de Rubeis ad Templum S. Mariae de Pace cum Priuilegio Summi Pontificis et Regis christiani Anno 1693. Nicolaus Dorigny Gall. delin. et inc. 9
Translation
By Jove's command, Psyche is taken by Mercury and led by him to Heaven, for her wedding with her Cupid. Among the spoils of the Gods, Vulcan's tongs and hammer are led in procession, the fire-powerful God being overcome by Cupid's fire. Amor, the tamer of wild beasts, bridles the lion and the sea-horse, master of both elements, Earth and Sea. The salamander, unharmed by flames, is an indicator of the same God [Vulcan/Fire]. Raphael of Urbino, inventor. [Publication details]. Nicolas Dorigny, Frenchman, drew and engraved it. 9
Apuleius, The Golden Ass
The primary literary source for the narrative of Cupid and Psyche, found in Books IV-VI.
Marsilio Ficino
Ficino's Neoplatonic commentaries provided the intellectual framework for interpreting Psyche as the human soul in search of the Divine.
Object
Oil on panel
mythological
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0
http://hdl.handle.net/1887.1/item:1630957
1969 × 1169 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.