John William Waterhouse (English, 1849-1917)
Psyche Opening the Golden Box
1903
Oil on canvas (117 x 74 cm)
Private collection

Psyche, the daughter of a king, incurred the wrath of Venus who eyed her as a rival. She instructed Cupid, her son, to infect Psyche’s heart with love for an outcast, but Cupid fell in love with her and visited her every night in her chamber. Fearing Psyche would be unable to resist his beauty, he remained invisible and warned her not to steal a look at him. One night, overcome with curiosity and goaded by her wicked sisters, Psyche took a lamp and shone it over Cupid as he lay asleep. She was so startled by his beauty that she spilled a drop of hot oil on his shoulder and woke the god from his slumber. Cupid was filled with anger at her disobedience and departed at once, leaving Psyche sad and deeply regretful. She roamed the earth in search of her lover, facing obstacles thrown in her way by Venus.

One of Psyche’s tasks is to retrieve a golden box from Persephone, the queen of the underworld, and deliver it to Venus. Psyche is warned not to open the box, but her curiosity overwhelms her. Upon opening it, she finds not beauty, as expected, but a deadly sleep that renders her unconscious.
When Cupid finds Psyche, he draws the sleep from her face and replaces it in the box. He lifts her into the air, and takes her to present the box to Venus.
He then takes his case to Jupiter, who gives his consent in return for Cupid's future help whenever a choice maiden catches his eye. Jupiter gives Psyche ambrosia, the drink of immortality, so the couple can be united in marriage as equals.

Waterhouse’s painting illustrates this moment of forbidden curiosity, highlighting both Psyche’s human frailty and her enduring grace.
#Waterhouse #art #Psyche #Cupid #Pre-Raphaelites

The well-known marble sculpture called “Amor Secreto” (also known as “Silent Love”), created by the Italian sculptor François-Joseph Bosio in the 19th century. ❤️🤫

The sculpture represents Cupid (Amor), the Roman god of love, holding a finger to his lips as a symbol of silence or secrecy. This gesture possibly alludes to the mysterious nature of love or secret love affairs in mythology. 💘👼

This artwork can be seen at the “Rijksmuseum”, where it is part of the European sculpture collection. 🇪🇺🏛️

#amsterdam #amor #cupid #art #xxx #mokum #rijksmuseum #angel #marble #sculpture #artwork #silentlove #amorsecreto #love #silencio #francoisjosephbosio #europeansculpturecollection

💘 The Cupid's Arrow 💘
A delightfully playful take on a gin rickey using Silent Pool Gin, Thatchers elderflower liquor, fresh muddled lime juice, diced cucumber, and a strawberry heart-shaped marshmallow simple syrup made by @Sebalicious and I. Perfect for two gin lovin' lovers to share while cooking a Valentine's weekend meal 😘 💘
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#mmmgurrrll #drinktherainbow #homemade #cocktail #gin #heart #cupid #valentines #valentinesday #love #partnerappreciation

A smoking #cupid by #humenrace for all my #jaded #valentines

#cleveland #graffiti #streetart #theflats