Plate 30: Venus and Cupid pleading their case in the presence of Jupiter and other Gods, from "The Fable of Cupid and Psyche"

Art Historical Context

This engraving, created between 1530 and 1560, captures a pivotal moment from the ancient Roman tale of Cupid and Psyche, as told in Apuleius’s *The Golden Ass*. In Plate 30, Venus and her son Cupid appear before Jupiter and the assembled gods, pleading their case in the ongoing drama surrounding Psyche’s trials. The scene brims with classical symbolism—Jupiter’s eagle and Venus’s peacocks frame the divine assembly—highlighting themes of love, jealousy, and reconciliation that captivated Renaissance audiences. Produced as part of a larger printed series, the work reflects the collaborative nature of 16th-century printmaking. Michiel Coxie likely designed the composition, the anonymous Master of the Die executed the engraving, and publisher Antonio Salamanca distributed it across Europe. Engravings like this one allowed mythological stories to reach wide audiences beyond palace walls, blending Italian design traditions with Northern European precision in line work. Measuring just under 9 by 8 inches, the intimate scale invites close viewing of the finely incised details. Today in the Metropolitan Museum’s collection, it exemplifies how prints preserved and popularized classical narratives during the Renaissance.

About the Artist

Master of the Die|Antonio Salamanca|Michiel Coxie (I) · 1525–1560

**Master of the Die** (fl. 1525–1560) was an anonymous Italian engraver and printmaker active primarily in Rome during the mid-16th century. Named for the distinctive small die he used to sign his prints—a tiny emblematic mark that became his moniker—this elusive artist remains unidentified despite scholarly proposals linking him to figures like Benedetto Verino, Giovanni Francesco Zabello, Tommas...