Sculpture
Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss
Antonio Canova
1787–1793
This marble group captures the instant when Cupid awakens the lifeless Psyche with a kiss, an episode from Apuleius’s tale The Golden Ass. The interlaced limbs form an X-shaped composition that draws the eye to the near-touching faces. Canova’s polished surfaces give the flesh an almost living softness, marrying Neoclassical restraint with tender sensuality.
Historical Context
Commissioned by the Scottish collector Colonel John Campbell, the sculpture was completed in Rome after years of work. It was among Canova’s most admired achievements and set a standard for European sculpture of its time. A second version is in the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg.
Provenance
Bought by Joachim Murat, brother-in-law of Napoleon, and acquired by the Louvre in 1824.
Details
- Medium
- Marble
- Dimensions
- 155 × 168 × 101 cm
- Department
- Sculpture
- Period / Era
- Neoclassical
- Origin
- Italy
- Location in museum
- Denon Wing, Ground Floor — Room 403 (Michelangelo Gallery)
About the Artist
Antonio Canova
Antonio Canova (1757–1822) was the foremost Neoclassical sculptor in Europe. Trained in Venice and settled in Rome, he worked for popes, emperors and aristocrats, including Napoleon, producing works of idealised beauty in gleaming marble.