Mercury carrying Psyche to Olympus, after Raphael's composition in the Villa Farnesina, Rome

Art Historical Context

In the lush frescoes of Rome's Villa Farnesina, Raphael immortalized the ancient myth of Cupid andche around 1517–18, drawing from Apuleius's *Golden Ass*. This enchanting engraving by Giovanni Jacopo Caraglio a pivotal moment: Mercury, the swift-footed messenger god, soaring through the clouds to carry the mortal Psyche to Olympus for her divine apotheosis and marriage to Cupid. Associated with Raphael's workshop—possibly involving his pupil Giulio Romano—the composition exemplifies High Renaissance ideals of graceful anatomy, dynamic movement, and ethereal beauty. Created as an engraving around 1520–39, this print on a modest sheet (9 15/16 × 6 15/16 in.) revolutionized art dissemination. Caraglio's precise incisions into a metal plate allowed for multiple impressions, bringing Raphael's elegance to collectors across Europe without the need for the original fresco. Prints like this bridged elite patronage and broader audiences, fueling the Renaissance taste for classical mythology. Today, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (purchased via the Joseph Pulitzer Bequest in 1917), it reminds us how engraving preserved and popularized the era's artistic genius, turning a Roman villa's walls into a shared cultural treasure.

About the Artist

Giovanni Jacopo Caraglio|Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio or Santi)|Giulio Romano · 1500–1565

Italian, Parma or Verona ca. 1500/1505–1565 Krakow (?)