Ca' Rezzonico - Venere con un amorino (Inv.294) - Alessandro Varotari

Venus sits on the left, holding a golden vessel intended for a journey to the underworld. Psyche gazes at the goddess with an expression of apprehension and a hand to her chest, while the young winged Cupid stands beside her. The interaction captures a pivotal moment from the classical myth where the soul must face its final and most dangerous trial.

In the Neoplatonic tradition, the story of Psyche is a profound allegory for the human soul's purification and its ultimate union with divine love. The jar of Proserpina represents the soul's necessary descent into the mysteries of death and the unconscious to retrieve spiritual beauty.