Tickets
English
DonateMembership
Tickets

The Marriage of Cupid and Psyche

ca. 1540
Not on view
The painting represents the marriage of Cupid, the son of Venus, with the mortal Psyche, in the presence of Juno, Jupiter, Mars, and other gods of Olympus as narrated by second-century Latin author Apuleius in The Golden Ass. Originally an octagon (the four corners are additions), it was the central element of a ceiling with scenes from the legend of Psyche installed in the Castello di Salvatore di Collalto, in the hills to the north of Venice. Schiavone’s fluid and painterly style and the exaggerated proportions of his figures were inspired by the northern Mannerist Parmigianino and were in turn important to a younger generation of Venetian painters such as Tintoretto.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Marriage of Cupid and Psyche
  • Artist: Andrea Schiavone (Andrea Meldola) (Italian, Zadar (Zara) ca. 1510?–1563 Venice)
  • Date: ca. 1540
  • Medium: Oil on wood, transferred to Masonite
  • Dimensions: Overall, with corners made up, 51 1/2 x 61 7/8 in. (130.8 x 157.2 cm); painted surface 50 1/2 x 61 1/2 in. (128.3 x 156.2 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Gift of Mary V. T. Eberstadt, by exchange, 1972
  • Object Number: 1973.116
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Cupid Presenting Psyche to the Gods, Andrea Schiavone (Andrea Meldola) Italian, Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, highlighted with white, over traces of black chalk, on brown-washed paper
Cupid Presenting Psyche to the Gods
Andrea Schiavone (Andrea Meldola)
ca. 1540–45
Lobster-Tail Burgonet, Steel, leather, gold, North Italian
Lobster-Tail Burgonet
North Italian
ca. 1610
A Hunting Scene, Piero di Cosimo (Piero di Lorenzo di Piero d'Antonio) Italian, Tempera and oil transferred to Masonite
A Hunting Scene
Piero di Cosimo (Piero di Lorenzo di Piero d'Antonio)
ca. 1494–1500
Nymphs Bathing, Andrea Schiavone (Andrea Meldola) Italian, Etching
Nymphs Bathing
Andrea Schiavone (Andrea Meldola)
possibly ca. 1545–50
Sallet in the Shape of a Lion's Head, Steel, copper, gold, glass, pigment, textile, Italian
Sallet in the Shape of a Lion's Head
Italian
ca. 1475–80

Related Content

Perspectives

Articles, audio, and video from The Met's online magazine.

Timeline of Art History

Entries and chronologies from The Met's art encyclopedia.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.