Study for Cupid and Psyche
Although previously thought to be by the neo-classical painter Pierre-Paul Prud’hon, this female nude was actually drawn by his assistant or pupil. A comparison of the Lehman sheet with a drawing by Prud’hon of the same figure in a slightly different pose has led us to surmise that Prud’hon’s assistant worked from the same model right alongside the great master, a lesson in itself. It appears that Prud’hon posed his model as a preparatory exercise toward a now lost painted composition of the star-crossed couple.
Artwork Details
- Title: Study for Cupid and Psyche
- Artist: Assistant or Pupil of Pierre Paul Prud'hon (French, Cluny 1758–1823 Paris)
- Date: 1783–84
- Medium: Black and white chalk with some charcoal on papier bleuté (woven)
- Dimensions: 600 x 381 mm
- Classification: Drawings
- Credit Line: Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
- Object Number: 1975.1.682
- Curatorial Department: The Robert Lehman Collection
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Multiple artists/makers
1811
Pierre Paul Prud'hon
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Pierre Paul Prud'hon
1822
Pierre Paul Prud'hon
n.d.
Multiple artists/makers
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