The Gods Celebrating the Wedding of Psyche and Cupid
1530/40
Medium
Engraving in warm brown ink on cream laid paper
Dimensions
Plate: 20 × 23.5 cm (7 7/8 × 9 5/16 in.); Sheet: 27 × 37 cm (10 11/16 × 14 5/8 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
158198
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Once Psyche prevails by sorting a pile of grain, acquiring the golden wool from dangerous sheep, and invading the underworld, Venus relents in her grudge against her prospective daughter-in-law. The goddess and Cupid petition Jupiter to allow the lovers to marry properly. Psyche ultimately gains immortality for her devotion to Cupid, and all of Olympus attends their nuptial feast. Many Italian Renaissance artists, notably Raphael, painted this celebration of triumphant love. The Master of the Di...
About the Artist
Master of the Die · 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...