psyches

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Painting of Croatian artist Zoltan Novak Royalty Free Stock Photo

Cooking a delicious pot of boer psyches with savory meat, tender potatoes, and vibrant vegetables over an outdoor fire Royalty Free Stock Photo

Cupid and Psyche by Anthony van Dyck at the National Gallery London 2025

This is the only surviving mythological painting from Van Dyck's employment as Charles I's court artist. It may be one of a series of canvases illustrating the story of Cupid and Psyche ordered for the Queen's House at Greenwich. This project, which involved Jacob Jordaens and Sir Peter Paul Rubens, was never completed. On the other hand, the painting may have been made as part of the marriage celebrations of Princess Mary and William II of Orange, April-May 1641. Van Dyck's mistress, Margaret Lemon, may have been the model for Psyche.In classical mythology, Venus, jealous of Psyche's beauty, set her a number of tasks, the last of which was to bring her a small portion of Proserpine's beauty from Hades in an unopened casket. Psyche, overcome by curiosity, opened it and released not beauty, but sleep, from which she is roused by Cupid. Psyche represents earthly beauty, while Cupid is Desire aroused by her beauty.