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Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0 · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileVenus reclines on a cloud, gesturing toward the earth as she speaks to her son Cupid, who holds a bow. To the sides, winged putti fly through the air, including one clutching the eagle and lightning bolts of Jupiter. The scene is framed by a heavy, ornate garland of various fruits and flowers, characteristic of the Loggia di Psiche.
The myth of Cupid and Psyche, sourced from Apuleius, was a central allegory in Renaissance Neoplatonism representing the human soul's (Psyche) descent into the material world and its eventual spiritual ascent through divine Love (Cupid). This narrative served as a key reference for thinkers like Marsilio Ficino who viewed the trials of Psyche as an initiatory journey toward divine union.
ARGUMENTUM FABULAE Venus odio prosequens Psychen Regiam puellam quod suo posthabito numine, acunctis pro Dea haberetur, eius nuptijs cum Cupidine filio infenso animo aduersatur. Quare infelix puella imperio Veneris, multis periculis aditis, causam apud Iouem agente Cupidine aduersus Matrem, per Mercurium, Psyche in caelum fertur, ac nectaris potu fit immortalis. Vocati Dij nuptiali conuiuio discumbunt. Venus ira incensa aduersus Psychen quod eius formam, et numen aemularetur, Cupidi filio imperat ut de matris iniurijs ultionem sumat, ac puella uiri contemptissimi amore saucia ab omnibus contemptui habeatur. Apuleius. Amores spolia ferunt uictorum Deorum; hic sagittarum suarum ad feriendum acumen digito ostentat. Amor è caelo rediens fulmen refert magni Iouis trophaeum. Raphael Sanctius Vrbinas Inventor. Typis ac Sumptibus Dominici de Rubeis Io: Iacobi filij ac Haeredis Romae ad templ. S. Mariae de Pace cum Priuil. Summi Pontificis et sup. perm. Anno 1693 Nicolaus Dorigny del. et inc. 2
Translation
THE PLOT OF THE STORY: Venus, pursuing the royal maiden Psyche with hatred because, her own divinity being neglected, Psyche was held by all as a Goddess, opposes with a hostile mind her marriage with her son Cupid. Wherefore the unhappy girl, having faced many dangers by the command of Venus, and with Cupid pleading her cause before Jove against his Mother, Psyche is carried to heaven by Mercury, and becomes immortal by a draught of nectar. The invited Gods recline at the nuptial banquet. Venus, inflamed with anger against Psyche because she rivaled her beauty and divinity, commands her son Cupid to take revenge for his mother's wrongs, and that the girl, wounded by love for the most contemptible man, should be held in contempt by all. Apuleius. The Loves carry the spoils of the conquered Gods; here one shows with his finger the sharpness of his arrows for striking. Love, returning from heaven, brings back the lightning bolt as a trophy of great Jove.
Apuleius
The Latin inscription explicitly cites Apuleius as the source for this narrative of the soul's journey.
Marsilio Ficino
Ficino's Neoplatonic philosophy popularized the interpretation of the Psyche myth as an allegory for the soul's immortality.
Object
Oil on panel
mythological
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0
https://wellcomeimages.org/indexplus/obf_images/89/99/38cc14d48061d6eea53d0bf9634c.jpg Gallery: https://wellcomeimages.org/indexplus/image/V0036091.html Wellcome Collection gallery (2018-04-05): https://wellcomecollection.org/works/njrgwxkd CC-BY-4.0
3456 × 2124 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.