Cupid and Psyche

Cupid visits Psyche at night while concealing his identity. David gives him the awkward body and satisfied smile of a young man. The painter drew on several ancient texts, including a recently published poem by Moschus describing a troublesome Cupid. These sources informed his treatment of the lovers.

Cupid sits upright with wings visible behind his shoulders. His smile turns outward while Psyche remains reclining beside him.

Psyche bends an arm above her head. Following the contour from shoulder to hand makes its position within her reclining body clear.

Pale legs extend across the couch. Clear contours and smooth transitions of light belong to David's drawing practice, developed through his study of ancient sculpture in Italy.

Dark red drapery encloses the bed. Its deep color heightens the distinction between cloth and illuminated skin.

A landscape appears through an opening. It occupies only a small part of the painting and gives an open distance beyond the confined bed.

David participated in the French Revolution as a Convention deputy and organizer of public festivals, then became an ally of Napoleon. His engagement with antiquity continued across these stages of his career. This late painting turns to a private mythological episode.