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Antonio CANOVA - Possagno, 1757 - Venise, 1822
Psyché ranimée par le baiser de l'Amour
© Musée du Louvre/P. Philibert |
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Denon
Ground Floor
Michelangelo gallery
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Cupid and Psyche |
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Psyche becomes the bride of Cupid, but knows neither his face nor his identity. To discover who he is, she spies on him as he sleeps. "Love cannot live without trust," he admonishes her before fleeing. Abandoned, and forced by Venus to perform a series of superhuman tasks, Psyche falls into a deadly sleep from which only Cupid's kiss can awaken her.
This work depicts the final scene in the story of Cupid and Psyche. Cupid has just arrived, his wings are still raised and form an X with Psyche's body.
Circle round the sculpture and look for the points where the two bodies meet.
Move closer and note the different aspects of the marble as it brings substance and material reality to the figures' essence: the softness of the hair, the transparency of the wings, the fullness of the flesh, the roughness of the rock, the vase's polished shape, the smoothness of the draperies . . .
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To return to the pyramid and the exit, take the lift located on the right as you leave the room.
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