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Cupid and Psyche

A work made of mezzotint in black on cream laid paper.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of mezzotint in black on cream laid paper.

Date:

n.d.

Artist:

James McArdell (Irish, c. 1728-1765)
after Gottfried Schalcken (Dutch, 1643-1706)

About this artwork

James McArdell was a talented Dublin School mezzotint engraver who also published his own prints. Here he capitalized on the Leiden painter Godfried Schalken’s fleeting fame. Schalken produced numerous nighttime scenes, and for this mythological mezzotint, the choice of illumination is particularly apt. Cupid fell in love with the mortal Psyche. Unable to keep her promise to meet with him solely in the dark, she lit an oil lamp, thereby learning her secret lover was divine. Overcome with his loveliness, she spilled the burning oil, waking him. Only after she succeeded in three seemingly impossible quests could they finally marry.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

James McArdell

Title

Cupid and Psyche

Place

Ireland (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1748–1765

Medium

Mezzotint in black on cream laid paper

Dimensions

Image/plate: 41.6 × 31.5 cm (16 7/16 × 12 7/16 in.); Sheet: 42.7 × 32.7 cm (16 13/16 × 12 7/8 in.)

Credit Line

The Amanda S. Johnson and Marion J. Livingston Fund

Reference Number

2011.266

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/210519/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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