''Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss'' ( ; ; ; ) is a

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

by Italian artist

Antonio Canova Antonio Canova (; 1 November 1757 – 13 October 1822) was an Italians, Italian Neoclassical sculpture, Neoclassical sculptor, famous for his marble sculptures. Often regarded as the greatest of the Neoclassical artists,. his sculpture was ins ...

first commissioned in 1787 by Colonel John Campbell.Johns, C.M.S. (1998) ''Antonio Canova and the Politics of Patronage in Revolutionary and Napoleonic Europe''. Berkeley, CA:

University of California Press The University of California Press, otherwise known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. It was founded in 1893 to publish scholarly and scientific works by faculty ...

, p. 149. It is regarded as a

masterpiece A masterpiece, , or ; ; ) is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, skill, profundity, or workmanship. Historically, ...

of Neoclassical sculpture, but shows the mythological lovers at a moment of great emotion, characteristic of the emerging movement of

Romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The purpose of the movement was to advocate for the importance of subjec ...

. It represents the god

Cupid In classical mythology, Cupid ( , meaning "passionate desire") is the god of desire, erotic love, attraction and affection. He is often portrayed as the son of the love goddess Venus and the god of war Mars. He is also known as Amor (Latin: ...

in the height of love and tenderness, immediately after awakening the lifeless Psyche with a kiss. The story of

Cupid and Psyche Cupid and Psyche is a story originally from ''Metamorphoses'' (also called ''The Golden Ass''), written in the 2nd century AD by Lucius Apuleius Madaurensis (or Platonicus). The tale concerns the overcoming of obstacles to the love between Psy ...

is taken from Lucius Apuleius' Latin novel ''

The Golden Ass The ''Metamorphoses'' of Apuleius, which Augustine of Hippo referred to as ''The Golden Ass'' (Latin: ''Asinus aureus''), is the only ancient Roman novel in Latin to survive in its entirety. The protagonist of the novel is Lucius. At the end of ...

'',Apuleius. ''The Golden Ass''. trans. Lindsay, Jack. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, 1962: 139–140. and was popular as a theme in art.

Joachim Murat Joachim Murat ( , also ; ; ; 25 March 1767 – 13 October 1815) was a French Army officer and statesman who served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Under the French Empire he received the military titles of Marshal of the ...

acquired the first or

prime version In the art world, if an artwork exists in several versions, the one known or believed to be the earliest is called the prime version. Many artworks produced in media such as painting or carved sculpture which create unique objects are in fact r ...

(pictured) in 1800. After his death, the statue entered the

Louvre Museum The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

in Paris, France in 1824; Prince Yusupov, a Russian nobleman acquired the second version of the piece from Canova in Rome in 1796, and it later entered the

Hermitage Museum The State Hermitage Museum ( rus, Государственный Эрмитаж, r=Gosudarstvennyj Ermitaž, p=ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)ɨj ɪrmʲɪˈtaʂ, links=no) is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and holds the large ...

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

. A full-scale model for the second version is in the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

Description

Having been recently awakened, Psyche reaches up toward her lover,

, as he gently holds her by supporting her head and breast. Antonio Canova's fine technique in carving

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

contrasts their realistic smooth skin with the surrounding elements. Loosely draped around Psyche's lower body, a sheet further emphasizes the difference between the texture of skin and drapery. Rough texture provides the basis of the rock upon which the composition is placed supplementing the distinctions of elements. Fine curls and lines make up the hair and light feathery details create realistic wings upon the landing Cupid. In Apuleius, Psyche had been warned by

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...

against opening the jar she was given to collect a scrap of beauty from

Proserpina Proserpina ( ; ) or Proserpine ( ) is an ancient Roman goddess whose iconography, functions and myths are virtually identical to those of Greek Persephone. Proserpina replaced or was combined with the ancient Roman fertility goddess Libera, whos ...

for Venus: "But I give you one especially strong warning. Do not open or peep into the aryou carry, and repress all curiosity as to the "Imprisoned Treasure of Divine Beauty"." But she gave way to curiosity just as she had returned from her voyage into the

Underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld. ...

, peering into the jar to take some of the Divine Beauty for herself. However, Proserpina had not filled it with the Beauty, but rather with the "Sleep of the Innermost Darkness, the night of

Styx In Greek mythology, Styx (; ; lit. "Shuddering"), also called the River Styx, is a goddess and one of the rivers of the Greek Underworld. Her parents were the Titans Oceanus and Tethys, and she was the wife of the Titan Pallas and the moth ...

, which freed from its cell rushed upon her and penetrated her whole body with a heavy cloud of unconsciousness and unfolded her where she lay." It is the moment in which Psyche is "a corpse asleep" revived by Cupid that Canova chose to depict. "Delicately purging her of the Sleep, which he put back in its original lair the ar he roused Psyche with a charming prick of his Arrow." Various details such as the jar behind Psyche allude to the story by Apuleius as Psyche had just opened it and had gone to sleep thus the jar remains lying beside her. Additionally, the arrow which Cupid struck Psyche with to awaken her is also found near the jar and Cupid wears a quiver next to his waist. File:Amor-Psyche-Canova-JBU04.JPG, File:Amor-Psyche-Canova-JBU07.JPG,

Criticism

There is a handle near one of Psyche's feet as the statue was meant to be able to be revolved on its base. Many of Canova's sculptures had custom built settings or a device that would move the base, thus the handle provided for some of the movement of the statue. This movement emphasizes the emotion and beauty of the sculpture while piquing interest from all angles. Carl Ludwig Fernow, a critic of Canova, complained about the vitality of the embracing figures as there is no singular view from which it should be seen. He stated, "you must run around it, look at it from high and low, up and down, look at it again and keep getting lost".Pavanello, Giuseppe and Giandomenico, Romanelli, ed. ''Canova''. New York: Marsilio Publishers, 1992: 236. Fernow continued that one's view must have a singular fixed point without the entire piece striking the viewer. Fernow's criticism of Canova's work is a complaint of having to view the sculpture by walking around it rather than from one perspective. Fernow continues, "this effort is somewhat mitigated, for the group perches on a pedestal and can be walked around at will; but the observer strives in vain to find a point of view from which to see both faces together, and in which to reduce each ray of tender expression to one central point of convergence."

Canova

The sculptor was born in 1757 in

Possagno Possagno is a comune in the Province of Treviso, in the Italy, Italian region Veneto. It is located about northwest of Venice and about northwest of Treviso. As of 31 August 2021, it had a population of 2,215 and an area of .All demographics and ...

, Italy, was raised by his

stonemason Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone as the primary material. Stonemasonry is the craft of shaping and arranging stones, often together with mortar and even the ancient lime mortar ...

paternal grandfather, Pasino Canova.Johns, p. 15 Venetian Senator Giovanni Falier was Canova's patron with great influence which started Canova's career. During

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

's campaigns of 1796–97, Napoleon caught wind of Canova's sculpture; "General Bonaparte offered Canova his protection and greatly flattered the sculptor, and later, when he was military dictator of France as

first consul The Consulate () was the top-level government of the First French Republic from the fall of the Directory in the coup of 18 Brumaire on 9 November 1799 until the start of the French Empire on 18 May 1804. During this period, Napoleon Bonap ...

, he sought to enlist Canova's considerable talents for his own glorification."Johns, p. 19 Canova however, deemed himself an independent artist and had previously rejected a court invitation from Czarina

Catherine II Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter III ...

, as Canova believed, "art was above politics". Yet this was not enough as "in the end power politics, manifested in French pressure on the papacy, forced

anova Analysis of variance (ANOVA) is a family of statistical methods used to compare the means of two or more groups by analyzing variance. Specifically, ANOVA compares the amount of variation ''between'' the group means to the amount of variation ''w ...

to acquiesce." Against his wishes, Canova gained various titles and honors such as "Cavaliere of the Golden Spur, Cavaliere di Cristo, ndmarquisate of

Ischia Ischia ( , , ) is a volcanic island in the Tyrrhenian Sea. It lies at the northern end of the Gulf of Naples, about from the city of Naples. It is the largest of the Phlegrean Islands. Although inhabited since the Bronze Age, as a Ancient G ...

".Johns, p. 20 Canova was a wildly successful independent sculptor and his skill and talent is evident within his works such as ''Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss''.

Notes

References

* Apuleius. ''The Golden Ass.'' trans. Lindsay, Jack. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, 1962: 139–140. * Johns, Christopher M. S. ''Antonio Canova and the Politics of Patronage in Revolutionary and Napoleonic Europe''. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998: 15, 17–22, 149. * * Potts, Alex. ''The Sculptural Imagination: Figurative, Modernist, Minimalist.'' Yale University Press: 2000: 40. * Pavanello, Giuseppe and Giandomenico, Romanelli, ed. ''Canova.'' New York: Marsilio Publishers, 1992: 236. * Teotochi Albrizzi, Isabella, Manlio Pastore Stocchi, and Gianni Venturi. ''Opere Di Scultura e Di Plastica Di Antonio Canova. Bassano del Grappa: Istituto di Nicerca per gli Studi su Canova e il Neoclassicismo'', 2003: 76.

External links