Love and Psyche Marble Sculpture After Antonio Canova
Our old reproduction of Love and Psyche after the original model by Antonio Canova (1757-1822) is large (26 by 29 by 14 inches) and in good condition. Wings were carved separately and attach with dowels. The work is very clean, apparently cleaned recently by a conservator.
Entitled Amore e Psiche, (Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss), the original was commissioned in 1787 by Colonel John Campbell. It is widely recognized as a masterpiece of Neoclassical art, but also marked the emerging movement or Romanticism for the way in which Canova depicted these mythological lovers with such emotion and tenderness. More precisely, it depicts the couple immediately after Cupid has awakened the lifeless Psyche with a kiss. The story comes from Lucius Apuleius' Latin novel, The Golden Ass, and was a widely popular subject for high art in its period.
