Curious Psyche

Giovanni David

mid-1770's · Etching and aquatint; corrected proof with notations in pen and brown ink · Drawings and Prints

The mortal princess Psyche was so beautiful that she was worshipped in place of Venus. Cupid, sent by his angry mother to make Psyche fall in love with the vilest man on earth, fell in love with her himself and installed her in his enchanted palace. David depicts the moment when Psyche's lamp reveals that her mysterious lover is Eros. Presently, the god of love will be awakened by a drop of oil and flee. David may have been the first Italian to take up the new medium of aquatint, which allowed him to imitate the subtle tonal effects of a wash drawing.

Artist

Giovanni David

Date

mid-1770's

Medium

Etching and aquatint; corrected proof with notations in pen and brown ink

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1976