Italian, circa 1850 After the Antique

Probably Algernon Percy, 4th Duke of Northumberland (1792–1865), probably Stanwick Park, Yorkshire, or Northumberland House, London, from circa 1854;
thence by descent.

Overall the condition of the marble is very good with minor dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. There are some losses to the edges of the relief, in particular to the right side of the foot plate. There are a few small naturally occurring inclusions, including to Cupid's proper right thigh. There is minor veining to the marble consistent with material. There is a slight orange colour to the high points.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This charming marble relief is carved after one of the most celebrated antique models, the Cupid and Psyche from the Capitoline Museum, Rome (Haskell and Penny, op. cit., no. 26). The ancient marble is a Roman Imperial copy after an earlier lost Hellenistic model of the 2nd or 3rd century BCE.  This marble was so admired in the 18th century that Napoleon demanded that it be sent to Paris and installed at the new Musée Central des Arts, where it arrived in July 1798 to much fanfare. After Napoleon's defeat in 1815, it was returned to Rome, where it was installed in the Capitoline Museum.

The scene is widely regarded as representing the love between Cupid and Pscyhe, the mythical parable of the union between human and divine love. In the story, first told by the Roman writer Apuleius in his novel The Golden Ass, the god of love and the beautiful young princess are married under the cover of darkness in a splendid palace. Their relationship later suffers a rupture when Psyche, who has never seen her husband in the light, takes a candle and spies on him as he sleeps, revealing his identity. Cupid flees in horror, but they are eventually reuninited after he saves his beloved from enslavement to Venus. The antique model, and, as such, the present relief, likely represents the marriage of Cupid and Psyche, or their mythical reunion on Mount Olympus. However, it has more recently been suggested that the model symbolises the invention of the kiss (Haskell and Penny, op. cit., p. 190). The traditional identification is nevertheless generally accepted today.

The Cupid and Psyche was one of the favourite models of English Grand Tourists, and marble copies can be found in numerous great country houses. The traveller John Bell described it as 'the first burst of youthful loveliness', whilst the writer Charles Burney praised the' innocent fondness' between the two protagonists (Haskell and Penny, op. cit., p. 190). The present marble was clearly executed by a talented sculptor in one of Rome's workshops producing works after antique models. The subject and the stylistic relationship to the two reliefs by Gibson in this sale would indicate that it has the same provenance, and was commissioned by Algernon Percy, 4th Duke of Northumberland in the 1850's.

RELATED LITERATURE
F. Haskell and N. Penny, Taste and the Antique. The Lure of Classical Sculpture 1500-1900, New Haven and London, 1981, pp. 189-191, no. 26