Sir Edward John Poynter, Bt., P.R.A., R.W.S., 1836-1919
PSYCHE
Watercolour
75 by 55cm., 29½ by 21½ in.
Private collection
Sold for 125,000 GBP in December 2016
Luca Giordano (1632–1705)
Psyche Honoured by the People, c. 1692 and 1702
Oil on copper
Height: 57.5 cm (22.6 in). Width: 68.9 cm (27.1 in).
Royal Collection, Windsor Castle
Luca Giordano (18 October 1634 – 12 January
1705) was an Italian late Baroque painter and printmaker in
etching. Fluent and decorative, he worked successfully in Naples and Rome,
Florence and Venice, before spending a decade in Spain.
Born in
Naples, Giordano was the son of the painter Antonio Giordano. In around 1650 he
was apprenticed to Ribera, and his early work was heavily influenced by his
teacher. Like Ribera, he painted many half-length figures of philosophers,
either imaginary portraits of specific figures, or generic types.
He
acquired the nickname Luca fa presto, which translates into "Luca paints
quickly." His speed, in design as well as handiwork, and his versatility,
which enabled him to imitate other painters deceptively, earned for him two
other epithets, "The Thunderbolt" (Fulmine) and "The
Proteus" of painting.
Following a period studying in Rome, Parma and Venice,
Giordano developed an elaborate Baroque style fusing Venetian and Roman
Influences. His mature work combines the ornamental pomp of Paul Veronese with
the lively complex schemes, the "grand manner", of Pietro da Cortona.
He is also noted for his lively and showy use of colour. More on Luca Giordano
Cupid instead scratches himself with his own dart, which makes any living thing fall in love with the first thing it sees. As soon as Cupid scratches himself he falls deeply in love with Psyche and disobeys his mother's order to make Psyche fall in love with something hideous.
Alphonse Legros, (1837–1911)
Cupid and Psyche, c. before 1867
Oil on canvas
Height: 116.8 cm (46 in). Width: 141.4 cm (55.7 in).
Tate Britain
Alphonse Legros, (b Dijon, 8 May 1837; d Watford, 8 Dec. 1911). French-born painter and printmaker who settled in England in 1863 (encouraged by Whistler) and became a British citizen in 1881, although he never acquired fluency in English. His chief importance was as an influential teacher (particularly of etching) at the Slade School, where he was professor 1876–92 in succession to Poynter. He encouraged a respect for the tradition of the Old Masters. More on Alphonse Legros
William Etty, RA (1787 – 1849)
Cupid and Psyche, c. 1821
I have no further description, at this time
William Etty RA (10 March 1787 – 13 November 1849) was an English artist best known for his history paintings containing nude figures. He was the first significant British painter of nudes and still lifes. Born in York, he left school at the age of 12 to become an apprentice printer in Hull. He completed his apprenticeship seven years later and moved to London, where in 1807 he joined the Royal Academy Schools. There he studied under Thomas Lawrence and trained by copying works by other artists. Etty earned respect at the Royal Academy of Arts for his ability to paint realistic flesh tones, but had little commercial or critical success in his early years in London. More on William Etty
Although her two humanly beautiful sisters have married, the idolized Psyche has yet to find love. Her father suspects that they have incurred the wrath of the gods, and consults the oracle of Apollo. The response is unsettling: the king is to expect no human son-in-law, but rather a dragon-like creature who harasses the world with fire and iron and is feared by even Jupiter and the inhabitants of the underworld.
Luca Giordano, 1692-170
Psyche’s Parents Offering Sacrifice to Apollo, c. between 1695 and 1697
Oil on copper
height: 56.2 cm (22.1 in); width: 69.2 cm (27.2 in)
Windsor Castle
Luca Giordano (18 October 1634 – 12 January
1705) was an Italian late Baroque painter and printmaker in
etching. Fluent and decorative, he worked successfully in Naples and Rome,
Florence and Venice, before spending a decade in Spain.
Born in
Naples, Giordano was the son of the painter Antonio Giordano. In around 1650 he
was apprenticed to Ribera, and his early work was heavily influenced by his
teacher. Like Ribera, he painted many half-length figures of philosophers,
either imaginary portraits of specific figures, or generic types.
He
acquired the nickname Luca fa presto, which translates into "Luca paints
quickly." His speed, in design as well as handiwork, and his versatility,
which enabled him to imitate other painters deceptively, earned for him two
other epithets, "The Thunderbolt" (Fulmine) and "The
Proteus" of painting.
Following a period studying in Rome, Parma and Venice,
Giordano developed an elaborate Baroque style fusing Venetian and Roman
Influences. His mature work combines the ornamental pomp of Paul Veronese with
the lively complex schemes, the "grand manner", of Pietro da Cortona.
He is also noted for his lively and showy use of colour. More on Luca Giordano
This painting is the second in a set of twelve in the Royal Collection depicting part of the story of Cupid and Psyche. The subject of this series comes from The Metamorphoses or Golden Ass by the second-century AD writer Apuleius: it is one of the stories that intersperse the main narrative of Lucius on his travels (Book IV, para. 28 - Book VI, para. 24). The tale of the many travails endured by ill-matched lovers (one mortal and one divine) before their final happy marriage.
In Apuleius’s story the beauty of Psyche, the third daughter of a king and queen, is so great that people pay homage to her rather than the goddess Venus: ‘as she walked the streets the people crowded to adore her with garlands and flowers’. In her jealousy Venus summons Cupid, ‘that winged son of hers, that most reckless of creatures’, and commands him to arouse in her [Psyche] a burning love for an unworthy husband, ‘cursed by Fortune in rank, in estate, in condition so that Psyche would be mortified’.
At this stage in the story, although praised for her beauty, no potential husband has presented himself to Psyche. Her parents, afraid that they have unwittingly incurred the anger of the gods, consult the oracle of Apollo and are told that Psyche’s future husband is no mortal lover, but a monster (‘something cruel and fierce and serpentine’), and that Psyche must be left exposed on a mountain peak, in ‘funeral wedlock ritually arrayed’. Giordano’s second painting shows Psyche’s parents sacrificing at the Temple of Apollo at Miletus before consulting the oracle (though according to Apuleius only her father made the journey). The composition is dominated by a surge upwards and to the right as figures and animals kneel before the statue, and great clouds of smoke rise from the sacrifice. More on this painting
Psyche is arrayed in funeral attire, conveyed by a procession to the peak of a rocky crag, and exposed. Marriage and death are merged into a single rite of passage, a "transition to the unknown". Zephyr the West Wind bears her up to meet her fated match, and deposits her in a lovely meadow (locus amoenus), where she promptly falls asleep.
John Wood, (1801–1870)
Psyche Conveyed by Zephyrs to the Valley of Pleasure, c. 1826
Oil on panel
54 x 43.2 cm
Sir John Soane’s Museum, London, England
John Wood (1801–1870), painter, son of a drawing-master, was born in London on 29 June 1801. He studied in Sass's school and at the Royal Academy, where in 1825 he gained the gold medal for painting. In the two previous years he had exhibited ‘Adam and Eve lamenting over the Body of Abel,’ and ‘Michael contending with Satan,’ and in 1826 he sent ‘Psyche wafted by the Zephyrs.’ These and other works displayed unusual powers of invention and design, and gained for him a great temporary reputation. In 1834 he competed successfully for the commission for the altar-piece of St. James's, Bermondsey, and in 1836 gained a prize at Manchester for his ‘Elizabeth in the Tower.’ During the latter part of his career he painted chiefly scripture subjects and portraits, which he exhibited largely at the Royal Academy and British Institution down to 1862. His portraits of Sir Robert Peel, Earl Grey, John Britton (in the National Portrait Gallery), and others have been engraved, as well as several of his fancy subjects. Wood died on 19 April 1870. More on John Wood
The transported girl awakes to find herself at the edge of a cultivated grove (lucus). Exploring, she finds a marvelous house with golden columns, a carved ceiling of citrus wood and ivory, silver walls embossed with wild and domesticated animals, and jeweled mosaic floors. A disembodied voice tells her to make herself comfortable, and she is entertained at a feast that serves itself and by singing to an invisible lyre.
The transported girl awakes to find herself at the edge of a cultivated grove (lucus). Exploring, she finds a marvelous house with golden columns, a carved ceiling of citrus wood and ivory, silver walls embossed with wild and domesticated animals, and jeweled mosaic floors. A disembodied voice tells her to make herself comfortable, and she is entertained at a feast that serves itself and by singing to an invisible lyre.
Guillaum Seignac, (1870–1924)
The Awakening of Psyche, circa 1904
Oil on panel
Height: 52.39 cm (20.63 in.), Width: 26.99 cm (10.63 in.)
Private collection
Guillaum Seignac (1870–1924) was a French academic painter. He was born in Rennes in 1870, and died in Paris in 1924. He started training at the Académie Julian in Paris, where he spent 1889 through 1895. He had many teachers there, including Gabriel Ferrier, William-Adolphe Bouguereau, and Tony Robert-Fleury. In addition to his training in the academic style, much of Seignac's work displayed classical themes and style, for example, his use of diaphanous drapery covering a woman's body is reminiscent of classical style, in particular the sculptor Phidias. In 1897, Guillaume Seignac regularly exhibited at the Salon and won several honors, including in 1900 honorable mention and in 1903 a Third Class medal. More on Guillaum Seignac
Although fearful and without sexual experience, she allows herself to be guided to a bedroom, where in the darkness a being she cannot see makes her his wife. She gradually learns to look forward to his visits, though he always departs before sunrise and forbids her to look upon him, and soon she becomes pregnant.
Jean-Honoré Fragonard, (1732–1806)
Psyche showing her Sisters her Gifts from Cupid, c. 1753
Oil on canvas
168.3 × 192.4 cm (66.3 × 75.7 in)
National Gallery, London, United Kingdom
Embodying the freedom and curiosity of the French Enlightenment, Jean Honoré Fragonard (1732–1806) developed an exuberant and fluid manner as a painter, draftsman, and printmaker. Prolific and inventive, he abandoned early on the conventional career path dictated by the hierarchical structure of the Royal Academy, working largely for private patrons. His work constitutes a further elaboration of the Rococo idiom established by Antoine Watteau and François Boucher, a manner perfectly suited to his subjects, which favored the playful, the erotic, and the joys of domesticity. More on Jean-Honoré Fragonard
Psyche's family longs for news of her, and after much cajoling, Cupid, still unknown to his bride, permits Zephyr to carry her sisters up for a visit. When they see the splendor in which Psyche lives, they become envious, and undermine her happiness by prodding her to uncover her husband's true identity, since surely as foretold by the oracle she was lying with the vile winged serpent, who would devour her and her child.
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet ARA (1833 – 1898)
Psyche's Sisters Visit Her
Oil on canvas
Height: 119.5 cm (47.05 in.), Width: 266.7 cm (105 in.)
Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery (England)
Sir Edward Coley
Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet ARA (28 August 1833 – 17 June 1898) was a British artist and designer closely
associated with the later phase of the Pre-Raphaelite movement. Burne-Jones was
closely involved in the rejuvenation of the tradition of stained glass art in
Britain. His early paintings show the heavy inspiration of Dante Gabriel
Rossetti, but by the 1860s Burne-Jones was discovering his own artistic
"voice". In 1877, he was persuaded to show eight oil paintings at the
Grosvenor Gallery (a new rival to the Royal Academy). These included The Beguiling
of Merlin. The timing was right, and he was taken up as a herald and star of
the new Aesthetic Movement. More on Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones
Luca Giordano, (1634 – 1705)
Psyche's Sisters Giving Her A Lamp And A Dagger, circa 1697
Oil on copper
58.1 cm (22.87 in.), Width: 68.9 cm (27.13 in.)
Royal Collection Trust (UK) - Buckingham Palace, United Kingdom
Luca Giordano, (1634 – 1705), see below
Sir Peter Paul Rubens, (1577 – 1640)
Psyche and Sleeping Cupid, circa 1636
Oil on panel
26 × 25 cm (10.2 × 9.8 in)
Bonnat-Helleu Museum
Sir Peter Paul Rubens (28 June 1577 –
30 May 1640) was a Flemish Baroque painter. A proponent of an
extravagant Baroque style that emphasized movement, colour, and sensuality,
Rubens is well known for his Counter-Reformation altarpieces, portraits,
landscapes, and history paintings of mythological and allegorical subjects.
In addition to running a large studio in Antwerp that
produced paintings popular with nobility and art collectors throughout Europe,
Rubens was a classically educated humanist scholar and diplomat who was
knighted by both Philip IV of Spain and Charles I of England. More on Sir Peter Paul Rubens
Willem van Mieris, (1662 – 1747)
Cupid and Psyche
Oil on copper
Height: 16.6 cm (6.54 in.), Width: 21.8 cm (8.58 in.)
The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, Russia
Willem van Mieris (3 June 1662 – 26 January 1747) was an 18th-century painter from the Northern Netherlands. He was born in Leiden as the son of Frans van Mieris sr. and brother of Jan van Mieris. He was a member of the Leiden Guild of St. Luke and a founding member of the Leidse Tekenacademie which opened in 1694. His pupils were Catharina Backer, Abraham Alensoon, and Hieronymous van de Mij. He retired in 1736 because he was partially blind. He died, aged 84, in Leiden.
His works are extremely numerous and show the influence of Francis van Bossuit as well as his father. As an artist, he did not equal his father.
van Mieris has works in the Victoria and Albert Museum as well as Cheltenham and Derby Museum and Art Gallery. More on Willem van Mieris
Charles-Antoine Coypel IV, (French, 1694 - 1752)
Cupid abandoning Psyche (1st version), c. 1736
Oil on canvas
82 cm (32.28 in.), Width: 63 cm (24.8 in.)
Private collection
Charles-Antoine Coypel IV, (French, 1694 - 1752); grandson of Noël Coypel I, nephew of Noël-Nicolas Coypel III, and son of Antoine Coypel II, with whom he trained.
His glorious ascendency helped him to be appointed to the Academy at only 18 (on 31 August 1715), without having competed for the Prix de Rome as was customary at the time; his reception piece was Jason and Medea.
Contrary to other members of his family, whose output was almost exclusively devoted to classical and history painting, Charles-Antoine produced many gallant and humorous subjects. He also had a special interest in pastels after travels with his then-friend Rosalba Carreira in France in 1720 and painted many subsequent portraits in this medium.
Like his father and grandfather before him, he had the best career possible, being promoted adjunct professor on 26 October 1720, professor on 10 January 1730, adjunct rector and rector the same day on 26 March 1746, and finally director of the French Academy from 23 June 1747 until his death on 14 June 1752. He also inherited from his father the positions of Painter of the Duke of Orleans in 1722 and Director of the Drawings and Paintings to the king in 1722. He became Premier Peintre du Roi in 1747.
He had no children, having remained single all his life, and was therefore last in line of the illustrious Coypel family (counting three directors of the Academy). More on Charles-Antoine Coypel
One night after Cupid falls asleep, Psyche carries out the plan her sisters devised: she brings out a dagger and a lamp she had hidden in the room, in order to see and kill the monster. But when the light instead reveals the most beautiful creature she has ever seen, she is so startled that she wounds herself on one of the arrows in Cupid's cast-aside quiver. Struck with a feverish passion, she spills hot oil from the lamp and wakes him. He flees, and though she tries to pursue, he flies away and leaves her on the bank of a river.
Edward Calvert, (1799–1883)
Psyche at the Stream
Oil on board
30 x 50.5 cm
The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology
Psyche at the Stream
Oil on board
30 x 50.5 cm
The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology
Edward Calvert (20 September 1799 – 14 July 1883) was an English printmaker and painter. He was born in Appledore, in Devon, and after a spell in the Navy, studied art at Plymouth and the Royal Academy (1824). His early visionary work was greatly inspired by William Blake, and he became a member of the Blake-influenced group known as The Ancients. Amongst Calvert's finest works are exquisite miniature wood engravings which date from this early period. He also made etchings. In 1844 he visited Greece. More on Edward Calvert
here she is discovered by the wilderness god Pan, who recognizes the signs of passion upon her. She acknowledges his divinity (numen), then begins to wander the earth looking for her lost love.
Edward Burne-Jones (1833–1898)
Pan and Psyche, c. 1872-1874
Oil on canvas
65.1 × 53.3 cm (25.6 × 21 in)
Fogg Museum, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
Sir Edward Coley
Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet ARA (28 August 1833 – 17 June 1898) was a British artist and designer closely
associated with the later phase of the Pre-Raphaelite movement. Burne-Jones was
closely involved in the rejuvenation of the tradition of stained glass art in
Britain. His early paintings show the heavy inspiration of Dante Gabriel
Rossetti, but by the 1860s Burne-Jones was discovering his own artistic
"voice". In 1877, he was persuaded to show eight oil paintings at the
Grosvenor Gallery (a new rival to the Royal Academy). These included The Beguiling
of Merlin. The timing was right, and he was taken up as a herald and star of
the new Aesthetic Movement. More on Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones
Psyche visits first one sister, then the other; both are seized with renewed envy upon learning the identity of Psyche's secret husband. Each sister attempts to offer herself as a replacement by climbing the rocky crag and casting herself upon Zephyr for conveyance, but instead is allowed to fall to a brutal death.
Guillaum Seignac, (1870–1924)
Psyche at the Shrines of Juno and Ceres, c. 1872-1881
Oil on canvas
Height: 119.5 cm (47.05 in.), Width: 124.5 cm (49.02 in.)
Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery, England
Guillaum Seignac (1870–1924) was a French academic painter. He was born in Rennes in 1870, and died in Paris in 1924. He started training at the Académie Julian in Paris, where he spent 1889 through 1895. He had many teachers there, including Gabriel Ferrier, William-Adolphe Bouguereau, and Tony Robert-Fleury. In addition to his training in the academic style, much of Seignac's work displayed classical themes and style, for example, his use of diaphanous drapery covering a woman's body is reminiscent of classical style, in particular the sculptor Phidias. In 1897, Guillaume Seignac regularly exhibited at the Salon and won several honors, including in 1900 honorable mention and in 1903 a Third Class medal. More on Guillaum Seignac
In the course of her wanderings, Psyche comes upon a temple of Ceres, and inside finds a disorder of grain offerings, garlands, and agricultural implements. Recognizing that the proper cultivation of the gods should not be neglected, she puts everything in good order, prompting a theophany of Ceres herself. Although Psyche prays for her aid, and Ceres acknowledges that she deserves it, the goddess is prohibited from helping her against a fellow goddess. A similar incident occurs at a temple of Juno. Psyche realizes that she must serve Venus herself.
Edward Matthew Hale, (1852–1924)
Psyche at the Throne of Venus, c. 1883
oil on canvas
99 x 89 cm
Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum, Bournemouth, Dorset, England
Edward Hale lived in London and Godalming. He studied in Paris from 1873-75 with Alexander Cabanel and Carolus-Duran, and from 1877-78 he worked as a war artist for the Illustrated London News with the Russian Army, and later in Afghanistan.
Most of his genre scenes are of army life, or the sea. Two works are in Leeds. He exhibited at the Royal Academy, Society of British Artists, Grosvener Gallery, New Gallery and elsewhere...
Born in Hastings, Edward Matthew Hale studied in Paris and began his career as an illustrator. vHe worked for The Illustrated London News following the Russian army in the Russo-Turkish War.
Later in life he concentrated on painting establishing a reputation for his highly original and fantastical depictions of sea life, as well as ambitious canvases of Classical subjects. More on Edward Hale
Luca Giordano, (1634 – 1705)
Venus Punishing Psyche with a Task, circa 1695-1697
Oil on copper
58.1 cm (22.87 in.), Width: 68.9 cm (27.13 in.)
Royal Collection Trust (UK) - Buckingham Palace, United Kingdom
Venus punishing Psyche with a Task (?) was previously interpreted as Psyche visited by her Sisters, but Sir Michael Levey argues that the scene is more accurately identified as Venus setting Psyche a task in the attempt to find Cupid. The task in question may be that of procuring a flask of water from a stream running beneath a high mountain. Venus is the lightly clad figure in the middle pointing towards Psyche, whose own gesture indicates the mountain in the background. As such this scene is the last of those in the present series. More on this painting
Luca Giordano (18 October 1634 – 12 January
1705) was an Italian late Baroque painter and printmaker in
etching. Fluent and decorative, he worked successfully in Naples and Rome,
Florence and Venice, before spending a decade in Spain.
Born in
Naples, Giordano was the son of the painter Antonio Giordano. In around 1650 he
was apprenticed to Ribera, and his early work was heavily influenced by his
teacher. Like Ribera, he painted many half-length figures of philosophers,
either imaginary portraits of specific figures, or generic types.
He
acquired the nickname Luca fa presto, which translates into "Luca paints
quickly." His speed, in design as well as handiwork, and his versatility,
which enabled him to imitate other painters deceptively, earned for him two
other epithets, "The Thunderbolt" (Fulmine) and "The
Proteus" of painting.
Following a period studying in Rome, Parma and Venice,
Giordano developed an elaborate Baroque style fusing Venetian and Roman
Influences. His mature work combines the ornamental pomp of Paul Veronese with
the lively complex schemes, the "grand manner", of Pietro da Cortona.
He is also noted for his lively and showy use of colour. More on Luca Giordano
Venus revels in having the girl under her power, and turns Psyche over to her two handmaids, Worry and Sadness, to be whipped and tortured. Venus tears her clothes and bashes her head into the ground, and mocks her for conceiving a child in a sham marriage.
The goddess then throws before her a great mass of mixed wheat, barley, poppyseed, chickpeas, lentils, and beans, demanding that she sort them into separate heaps by dawn. But when Venus withdraws to attend a wedding feast, a kind ant takes pity on Psyche, and assembles a fleet of insects to accomplish the task.
Venus is furious when she returns drunk from the feast, and only tosses Psyche a crust of bread. At this point in the story, it is revealed that Cupid is also in the house of Venus, languishing from his injury.
At dawn, Venus sets a second task for Psyche. She is to cross a river and fetch golden wool from violent sheep who graze on the other side. These sheep are elsewhere identified as belonging to the Sun. Psyche's only intention is to drown herself on the way, but instead she is saved by instructions from a divinely inspired reed, of the type used to make musical instruments, and gathers the wool caught on briers.
Michiel Coxie I
The fable of Cupid and Psyche, c. 1520-1535
Paper engraving
Height: 201 millimetres, Width: 230 millimetres
British Museum
Female personifications of Sorrow and Pain at right punishing Psyche at the behest of Venus, who sits at right
Michiel Coxie, Coxie also spelled Coxcie or Coxien, Latinised name Coxius (1499 – 3 March 1592. A Flemish painter, imitator of Raphael, known as the Flemish Raphael. He was a pupil of his father, and afterwards studied under Van Orley, with whom he visited Rome in 1532, where he made the acquaintance of Vasari. Coxcie painted several large works for the Emperor Charles V and for Philip II, King of Spain, to whom he was court painter. He designed thirty-two subjects from the fable of Cupid and Psyche, which were engraved, and, in conjunction with Van Orley, he directed the execution of some tapestry made from the designs of Raphael. He copied part of the great Van Eyck altar-piece for Philip II of Spain, and portions of his copy are in Berlin and Munich and the remainder in Ghent. Several of his paintings are to be seen at Brussels, Antwerp, Bruges, Berlin, Madrid, St, Petersburg, and Vienna. In his paintings he bestowed special care on the figures of women, and they are well modelled and invariably graceful. In male figures he too often exaggerated the anatomy and selected awkward and unreasonable attitudes. His composition is very Italian in character, sometimes too academic in line and grouping, but agreeable in effect. His best works are signed and dated and are remarkable for their splendid colouring and harmonious result. More on Michiel Coxie
Venus Punishing Psyche
Christie and Sollikito were Venus's handmadens who beat Psykhe upon her arrival
I have no further description, at this time
The goddess then throws before her a great mass of mixed wheat, barley, poppyseed, chickpeas, lentils, and beans, demanding that she sort them into separate heaps by dawn. But when Venus withdraws to attend a wedding feast, a kind ant takes pity on Psyche, and assembles a fleet of insects to accomplish the task.
At dawn, Venus sets a second task for Psyche. She is to cross a river and fetch golden wool from violent sheep who graze on the other side. These sheep are elsewhere identified as belonging to the Sun. Psyche's only intention is to drown herself on the way, but instead she is saved by instructions from a divinely inspired reed, of the type used to make musical instruments, and gathers the wool caught on briers.
Charles-Joseph Natoire, (French, 1700 - 1777)
Psyche Gathering the Fleece of the Rams of the Sun, c. 1752
Oil on canvas
Height: 95.3 cm (37.52 in.), Width: 155.6 cm (61.26 in.)
Chrysler Museum of Art - Norfolk (Va), United States
The center foreground is Psyche as a shepherdess in flowing and somewhat rumpled garments collecting wool from the brambles. Collecting the wool, or fleece of the Ram of the Sun, is seen as nearly impossible, and it is the second task Venus has asked Psyche to complete to avoid destruction. The background is pastoral: clouds, hills, trees, shepherds and rams fill the canvas. Two swans, who helped Psyche across the river, face each other in the middle of the canvas. On the left, a nymph in billowing clothes distracts the shepherd while Psyche gathers the wool. The left foreground shows a detail of a green plant. In the foreground at right, a ram peers out at the face of the viewer. More on this Painting
At his return, he became one of the most prominent painters of the country, challenging his friend Boucher, who had a very similar style. Natoire however specialised in creating decorative ensembles for prestigious patrons, including the famous Story of Psyche for the Hôtel of the Duke of Rohan in Paris.
He was appointed academician on 31 December 1734. Then he had an important career, being promoted Adjunct Professor on 2 July 1735, Professor on 2 July 1737, and finally Director of the French Academy in Rome from 1751 to 1775. He subsequently gave up painting after his final departure to Rome and instead drew many landscapes of the Roman countryside. He died in Rome on 23 August 1777. More on Charles-Joseph Natoire
For Psyche's third task, she is given a crystal vessel in which to collect the black water spewed by the source of the rivers Styx and Cocytus. Climbing the cliff from which it issues, she is daunted by the foreboding air of the place and dragons slithering through the rocks, and falls into despair. Jupiter himself takes pity on her, and sends his eagle to battle the dragons and retrieve the water for her.
Paul Ayshford Methuen, (1886–1974)
Psyche Dipping Her Pitcher in the River Styx
Oil on canvas
38.7 x 52.5 cm
Royal West of England Academy, Bristol, England
The last trial Venus imposes on Psyche is a quest to the underworld itself. She is to take a box (pyxis) and obtain in it a dose of the beauty of Proserpina, queen of the underworld. Venus claims her own beauty has faded through tending her ailing son, and she needs this remedy in order to attend the theatre of the gods (theatrum deorum).
Once again despairing of her task, Psyche climbs a tower, planning to throw herself off. The tower, however, suddenly breaks into speech, and advises her to travel to Lacedaemon, Greece, and to seek out the place called Taenarus, where she will find the entrance to the underworld. The tower offers instructions for navigating the underworld:
The airway of Dis is there, and through the yawning gates the pathless route is revealed. Once you cross the threshold, you are committed to the unswerving course that takes you to the very Regia of Orcus. But you shouldn’t go emptyhanded through the shadows past this point, but rather carry cakes of honeyed barley in both hands, and transport two coins in your mouth.
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet ARA (1833 – 1898)
Psyche Giving the Coin to Charon, circa 1872-1881
Oil on canvas
Height: 119.4 cm (47.01 in.), Width: 266.7 cm (105 in.)
Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery, England
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet ARA (1833 – 1898), see above
The speaking tower warns her to maintain silence as she passes by several ominous figures: a lame man driving a mule loaded with sticks, a dead man swimming in the river that separates the world of the living from the world of the dead, and old women weaving. These, the tower warns, will seek to divert her by pleading for her help: she must ignore them. The cakes are treats for distracting Cerberus, the three-headed watchdog of Orcus, and the two coins for Charon the ferryman, so she can make a return trip.
Eugène-Ernest Hillemacher, (1818–1887)
Psyché aux enfers, Psyche in the Underworld, c. 1865
Oil on canvas
17.0 × 90.0 cm
NGV International
Charon rows Psyche past a dead man in the water and the old weavers on shore.
Here Psyche is crossing the river Styx, after which she will encounter Cerberus, the three-headed dog of Hades who lurks on the right hand side of the painting. Cerberus guards the gates of Hades and allows the dead to enter, but never leave. Psyche knows to feed Cerberus a small cake in order to return to the surface. More on this painting
Eugène Ernest Hillemacher (13 October 1818, Paris – 3 March 1887, Paris) was a French history, portrait and genre painter in the Academic style. His mother was the youngest sister of the Belgian painter and etcher, Frédéric Théodore Faber. In 1838, he enrolled at the École des Beaux-arts, where he studied with Léon Cogniet. He had his first exhibition at the Salon in 1840, featuring his depiction of Cornelia Africana, mother of the Gracchi.
He was a frequent participant in several regular exhibitions and received numerous commissions. Many of his works were reproduced as rotogravures. He won first-class medals in 1861 and 1863.
He was named a Knight of the Légion d'Honneur in 1869. His brother Frédéric Désiré was a well-known engraver. His sons Paul and Lucien became composers who often worked together; winning the Prix de Rome for music in 1876 and 1880. More on Eugène Ernest Hillemacher
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet ARA (1833 – 1898)
Psyche Obtaining the Elixir of Beauty from Proserpine, circa 1735
Oil on canvas
Height: 258.76 cm (101.88 in.), Width: 167.01 cm (65.75 in.)
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, United States
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet ARA (1833 – 1898), see above
Everything comes to pass according to plan, and Proserpina grants Psyche's humble entreaty. As soon as she reenters the light of day, however, Psyche is overcome by a bold curiosity, and can't resist opening the box in the hope of enhancing her own beauty. She finds nothing inside but an "infernal and Stygian sleep," which sends her into a deep and unmoving torpor.
Charles Meynier, (1763 or 1768 – 1832)
Adolescent Cupid Weeping over the Portrait of Psyche whom he Has Lost, circa 1792
Oil on canvas
152 x 200 cm
Musée des beaux-arts de Quimper
This work dates from the time of the painter’s stay in Rome alongside Fabre and Girodet. It shows the young painter’s hesitation between the mythological gallantries of the 18th century and the neo-classical pathos. Rather than a kiss or an embrace, Meynier chooses the hero’s solitude and the pain of absence. He demonstrates his learning by borrowing all his vocabulary from Greek antiquity. The fantastical treatment of the landscape and the lighting herald the era of romanticism. More on this painting
Charles Meynier (1763 or 1768, Paris – 1832, Paris) was a French painter of historical subjects in the late 18th and early 19th century. He was a contemporary of Antoine-Jean Gros und Jacques-Louis David. Already at a young age he was trained by Pierre-Philippe Choffard. As a student of François-André Vincent, Meynier won the second prize in the 1789 prix de Rome competition; Girodet won. He became a member of the Académie de France à Rome. In 1793 he went back to Paris.
He made designs for the bas-reliefs and statues on the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel and the Paris Bourse. From 1816 onward, he was a member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts. In 1819 Meynier was appointed teacher at the École des Beaux-Arts. Like his wife he died of cholera. More on Charles Meynier
Anthony van Dyck, (1599 – 1641)
Cupid and Psyche, c. 1639-1640
Oil on canvas
Height: 199 cm (78.35 in.), Width: 191 cm (75.2 in.)
Royal Collection Trust - Kensington Palace, United Kingdom
The intimacy and tension of the figures result from a number of simple but striking contrasts: the warmth of Cupid's flesh tones and drapery against the coolness of Psyche's skin and cloak; the speed and energy as he barely touches the ground next to the weight of her 'sleeping corpse'. Cupid enters like an Annunciate Angel with hope, whilst she assumes the form of a Dead Christ in a Lamentation. The diagonals of their bodies are echoed by the dead and living tree beyond, which reinforce the idea of Cupid's touch bringing life back to the dead. More on this painting
Sir Anthony
van Dyck, ( 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Flemish Baroque artist who became
the leading court painter in England, after enjoying great success in Italy and
Flanders. He is most famous for his portraits of Charles I of England and his
family and court, painted with a relaxed elegance that was to be the dominant
influence on English portrait-painting for the next 150 years. He also painted
biblical and mythological subjects, displayed outstanding facility as a
draughtsman, and was an important innovator in watercolour and etching. The Van
Dyke beard is named after him. More on Sir Anthony van Dyck
Samuel George Enderby
Cupid Guarding Psyche, c. 1900
Oil on canvas
97.5 cm (38.39 in.), Width: 197 cm (77.56 in.
Boston Guildhall, Boston, United Kingdom
Meanwhile, Cupid's wound has healed into a scar, and he escapes his mother's house by flying out a window. When he finds Psyche, he draws the sleep from her face and replaces it in the box, then pricks her with an arrow that does no harm. He lifts her into the air, and takes her to present the box to Venus.
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet ARA (1833 – 1898)
Cupid Finding Psyche Asleep By a Fountain, c. 1872-1881
Oil on canvas
Height: 124.5 cm (49.02 in.), Width: 119.5 cm (47.05 in.)
Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery, United Kingdom
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet ARA (1833 – 1898), see above
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet ARA (1833 – 1898)
Cupid Delivering Psyche, c. 1870
Oil on canvas
Height: 99.5 cm (39.17 in.), Width: 115.3 cm (45.39 in.)
Graves Art Gallery, Sheffield, United Kingdom
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet ARA (1833 – 1898), see above
Jean Pierre Saint-Ours, (1752 – 1809)
The Reunion of Cupid and Psyche, circa 1789-1792
Oil on panel
Height: 35.24 cm (13.88 in.), Width: 49.53 cm (19.5 in.)
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, United States
Jean-Pierre Saint-Ours (4 April 1752 – 6 April 1809) was a Swiss painter born in Geneva, Switzerland. He began studying with his father Jacques (1708–1773) who was himself a renowned painter. He continued his studies in Paris, in 1769, with Joseph-Marie Vien. In 1780, he obtained the Prix de Rome, but was denied a place at the French Academy in Rome, because of nationality issues and he began the journey at his own expense. In 1792, Saint-Ours was forced to return to his homeland due to the events of Revolution.
On 6 April 1809 he died in Geneva. His works may be seen in several museums, including the Louvre, in Paris, and the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire of Geneva. More on Jean-Pierre Saint-Ours
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet ARA (1833 – 1898)
Psyche Entering the Portals of Olympus, c. 1872-1881
Oil on canvas
Height: 141 cm (55.51 in.), Width: 264 cm (103.94 in.)
Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery, England
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet ARA (1833 – 1898), see above
He then takes his case to Jupiter, who gives his consent in return for Cupid's future help whenever a choice maiden catches his eye. Jupiter has Mercury convene an assembly of the gods in the theater of heaven, where he makes a public statement of approval, warns Venus to back off, and gives Psyche ambrosia, the drink of immortality, so the couple can be united in marriage as equals. Their union, he says, will redeem Cupid from his history of provoking adultery and sordid liaisons. Jupiter's word is solemnized with a wedding banquet.
Raphael (1483–1520)
Psyche Received on Olympus, c. 1517
Fresco
Villa Farnesina, Rome, Trastevere
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (April 6 or March 28, 1483 – April 6, 1520), known as Raphael, was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of composition, and visual achievement of the Neoplatonic ideal of human grandeur. Together with Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, he forms the traditional trinity of great masters of that period.
Raphael was enormously productive, running an unusually large workshop and, despite his death at 37, leaving a large body of work. Many of his works are found in the Vatican Palace, where the frescoed Raphael Rooms were the central, and the largest, work of his career. The best known work is The School of Athens in the Vatican Stanza della Segnatura. After his early years in Rome much of his work was executed by his workshop from his drawings, with considerable loss of quality. He was extremely influential in his lifetime, though outside Rome his work was mostly known from his collaborative printmaking.
After his death, the influence of his great rival Michelangelo was more widespread until the 18th and 19th centuries, when Raphael's more serene and harmonious qualities were again regarded as the highest models. His career falls naturally into three phases and three styles, first described by Giorgio Vasari: his early years in Umbria, then a period of about four years (1504–1508) absorbing the artistic traditions of Florence, followed by his last hectic and triumphant twelve years in Rome, working for two Popes and their close associates. More on Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino
Jean-Baptiste Greuze, (French, 1725 - 1805)
Psyche Crowning Cupid
Oil on canvas
Palais des Beaux Arts de Lille, France
Greuze imagines the scene of the coronation of Eros by Psyche. This is an opportunity for him to portray a gallant, even erotic scene. It reveals the body of Psyche and that of Modesty on the right.
In order to respond to the tastes of spectators at the time, the decor was made up of antique furniture, which was fashionable at the time. Other classical painters, such as David and his Apelles painting Campaspe , would do the same. More on this painting
Jean-Baptiste Greuze, (French, 1725 - 1805). After training in Lyon, Jean-Baptiste Greuze arrived in Paris in 1750, where he sporadically attended the Académie Royale. His 1755 Salon debut was a triumph, but the acclamation turned his head. He antagonized everyone, including fellow artists, which later proved disastrous.
While retaining the clear, bright colors and lighter attitude of eighteenth-century painting, Greuze introduced a Dutch-influenced realism into French genre painting and portraiture. Through vivid facial expressions and dramatic gestures, Greuze's moralizing paintings exemplified the new idea that painting should relate to life. They captured the details of settings and costumes, "spoke to the heart," educated viewers, and aimed to make them "virtuous."
In 1769 Académie members refused Greuze membership as a history painter, accepting him only in the lower category of genre, perhaps partly from ill will. Humiliated, he withdrew from public exhibitions completely. During the 1770s Greuze enjoyed a widespread reputation and engravings after his paintings were widely distributed, but his wife embezzled most of the proceeds. By the 1780s, Neoclassicism curtailed his popularity and his quality declined. After enduring poverty and neglect, he died unnoticed, having outlived his time and his reputation. More on Jean-Baptiste Greuze
Raphael (1483–1520)
Wedding Banquet of Cupid and Psyche, c. 1517
Fresco
Villa Farnesina, Rome, Trastevere
With its happy marriage and resolution of conflicts, the tale ends in the manner of classic comedy or Greek romances such as Daphnis and Chloe. The child born to the couple will be Voluptas, "Pleasure."
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (April 6
or March 28, 1483 – April 6, 1520), see above
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