“A prophecy announced that the young Princess Psyche would grow up to be more ravishingly beautiful than Aphrodite herself. The latter, furious, ordered her son, Cupid, to make Psyche fall madly in love with the ugliest being in the world. Though he was prepared to carry out his mission, instead Cupid fell in love with Psyche himself.

He sent an oracle to the young woman’s father, asking him to keep her safely hidden. Locked in a luxurious palace, Psyche received a visit from Cupid every night. However, she refrained from looking at his face, in order to avoid knowing his identity. One night, Psyche broke down and watched her sleeping lover by the light of a lantern. When a drop of hot oil falls on the young god’s skin, he flies away.

Psyche, in search of her lover, became Aphrodite’s slave. Aphrodite ordered Psyche to get a vial from Hades that she must not open. Psyche couldn’t resist and opened the bottle. Breathing in the vapors, she fell into a deadly sleep that only Cupid can break. Cupid kissed her and brought her back to life. Canova’s sculpture captures this moment. Cupid, recognizable by his quiver and arrows, rests on the rock where his beloved lies unconscious.”

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