Cupid and Psyche Bathing from a set of Mythological Subjects after Giulio Romano

Manufacture Nationale des Gobelins|Charles François Poerson|Jean Jans the Younger|Antoine Coypel|Giulio Romano|Louis XIV, King of France|Jean-Baptiste Corneille|Jean Lefebvre the Elder

designed 1684–86, woven 1692–1700 · Wool, silk, metal thread (20-26 warps per inch, 8-12 per cm.) · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

In a rocky clearing, putti undress Cupid and Psyche as they prepare to bathe in a shallow, marble-rimmed pool. This tapestry is from a set of eight, traditionally called Les Sujets de la Fable. The designs for all eight tapestries are based in part upon drawings then in Louis XIV's collection- now preserved in the Louvre- which were all, at that time, attributed to Giulio Romano. Four of the tapestries in this series- all of which are part of The Met’s collection- ultimately take as their inspiration frescos by Giulio Romano and his assistants in the Palazzo Te, Mantua. The design source of this tapestry is Giulio’s fresco of Mars bathing with Venus painted in the Palazzo’s sala di Psiche.

Artist

Manufacture Nationale des Gobelins|Charles François Poerson|Jean Jans the Younger|Antoine Coypel|Giulio Romano|Louis XIV, King of France|Jean-Baptiste Corneille|Jean Lefebvre the Elder

Date

designed 1684–86, woven 1692–1700

Medium

Wool, silk, metal thread (20-26 warps per inch, 8-12 per cm.)

Culture

French, Paris

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Gift of Julia A. Berwind, 1953