Focus on this artwork and discuss the abstract.
Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss (Italian: Amore e Psiche [aˈmoːre e ˈpsiːke]; French: Psyché ranimée par le baiser de l'Amour; Russian: Амур и Психея, romanized: Amúr i Psikhéja) is a sculpture by Italian artist Antonio Canova first commissioned in 1787 by Colonel John Campbell. It is regarded as a masterpiece of Neoclassical sculpture, but shows the mythological lovers at a moment of great emotion, characteristic of the emerging movement of Romanticism. It represents the god Cupid in the height of love and tenderness, immediately after awakening the lifeless Psyche with a kiss. The story of Cupid and Psyche is taken from Lucius Apuleius' Latin novel The Golden Ass, and was popular in art.
Joachim Murat acquired the first or prime version (pictured) in 1800. After his death the statue entered the Louvre Museum in Paris, France in 1824;Prince Yusupov, a Russian nobleman acquired the 2nd version of the piece from Canova in Rome in 1796, and it later entered the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg. A full-scale model for the 2nd version is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Prince Yusupov France Cupid Hermitage Psyche masterpiece Romanticism French Colonel John Campbell Hermitage Museum Neoclassical Apuleius Italian Saint Petersburg Louvre Louvre Museum Lucius Apuleius prime version Paris Antonio Canova Cupid and Psyche Joachim Murat sculpture The Golden Ass Metropolitan Museum of Art