Johan Tobias Sergel’s sculpture depicts a dramatic moment in the myth of Cupid and Psyche. The ancient gods resembled humans in that they were often jealous, quarrelsome, and petty. Psyche, a king’s daughter, was so dazzlingly beautiful that Venus, goddess of love, became jealous. She therefore sent her son Cupid to make sure the girl fell in love with someone utterly inappropriate. Yet when Cupid saw Psyche, he promptly fell in love with her himself. Cupid installed his beloved in a beautiful palace where they had tender encounters after dark, but Cupid was careful never to reveal his true godly identity. One night, when Cupid was asleep, a curious Psyche lit an oil lamp to see who her lover was. Mesmerized by his beauty, she happened to spill a drop of hot lamp oil on Cupid, waking him. He left her at once, never to return. Repentant, the grief-stricken Psyche searched endlessly for her lost lover. She prayed to the gods, but Venus, who heard her prayer, gave her a series of impossible tasks in order to prevent her from being reunited with Cupid. It was only after many trials that Jupiter, the king of the gods, finally intervened and brought her to Mount Olympus, where she and Cupid were wed. The story exists in many different versions. In Sweden, it is best known as the tale of »Prince Hat under the ground«. In his sculpture, Sergel shows Cupid’s dramatic departure from the despairing Psyche. PD
Per Dahlström from The Collection Gothenburg Museum of Art, Gothenburg 2014
