Psyche surprises sleeping Love - Lagrenée

Image series :

Paris, Salon de 1769

Notice précédente Notice n°10 sur 42 Notice suivante

Artist :

Lagrenée dit l’aîné, Louis-Jean-François (1725-1805)

Date :

1768

Type of image :

Peinture sur toile

Dimensions (HxL cm) :

120cm de diamètre

Topic :

Mythologie. Psyché

Storage Location :

Paris, Musée du Louvre

RF 1983-76

Signed work

Description

Booklet from the 1769 Salon :

"By M. de la Grenée, Professor.
15. Mars & Venus surprised by Vulcan.
16. Psiché surprises sleeping Love.
These two Paintings are part of the decoration of the King's Bedroom, at the Château de Belle-Vue. "

Amour has forbidden Psyche to see his face, even though he shares her bed every night. Fearing a monster in her bed, one night she transgresses the ban and brings her oil lamp close to her lover's face. Filled with emotion by the divine face, Psyche drops a drop of oil on Amour, who awakens and leaves her. We may think that the object hanging on the wall is the mask used by Amour to conceal his face when it's not quite dark.

History :

1. Signed and dated "GRENEE 68 ". The first three letters and the vintage may have been cut off when the canvas was shrunk.

2. Door overlay commissioned for Louis XV's bedroom at the Château de Bellevue, near Meudon, in 1766. Put in place in 1768 and sent back to Paris in 1769 for the Salon. Belonged to a private collection in Tours. Sold to Moatti, Paris, 1977. Then to Othon Kaufmann and François Schlageter. Acquired by the Louvre in 1983 (donation sous réserve d'usufruit).

3. Counterpart to "Mars and Venus surprised by Vulcan " and "Jupiter and Juno on Mount Ida" (lost).

Indexed items :

Spectateur factice (portrait, statue)

Scène à deux

Rideau (fond de scène)

Lampe

Couple étendu sur un lit

Absorbement

Textual Sources :

La Fontaine, Les Amours de Psyché et de Cupidon (1669)

Apulée, Métamorphoses (dites aussi L’Ane d’or) (vers 150-170)

Apulée, Métamorphoses, livre V, chap. 22-23

Technical Data

Notice #001018

Image HD

Past ID :

A0337

Image editing :

Image web

Reproduction interdite. Les notices sont la propriété de leurs auteurs et ne peuvent être reproduites ni faire l’objet de quelque transaction que ce soit sans leur autorisation expresse et écrite.