Explore the Context of this artwork, The Bath of Psyche.
The legend of Cupid and Psyche was popular source material for writers and artists in the second half of the 19th century. The story originated in the Roman writer Lucius Apuleius's Metamorphoses, commonly known as The Golden Ass.Psyche dwelt in the golden palace of Cupid, the god of love. Each night Cupid would visit Psyche's bedchamber to lie with her under cover of darkness, without revealing his divinity. Leighton shows Psyche undressing to bathe before Cupid's arrival, gazing at her reflection.
Cupid and Psyche Apuleius Cupid The Golden Ass Lucius Apuleius Psyche