Description

One of four (of an original series of 12) hand-colored prints of mythological scenes.

F.C. 10189.

“VENERE E GIOVE”

Left inscription: “Nubens trangressa Venus ab Iove petit Mercurij vocalis operam, ut delitescentem puellam nomine Psychen preconio requirat. Annuit luppiter caerulo supercilio.”

Middle inscription: “Arcum pharetramque Apollinis Aliger hic sublevat in memoriam Daphnes saucio Arcitenente // Deo Cupidinis sagittis Gryphus sacer est Apollini.”

Right inscription: “Caduceum galerumque Mercurij hic quoque ducit in pompam Cupidinis. Picae advolant // Loquaces Mercurio sermonis et eloquentiae Deo sacrae.”

Lower left: “Raphael Sanctius Urbinas inventor.”

Lower middle: “Typis ac Sumptibus Dominicis de Rubeis lo. Iacobi filij ac Haeredis. Romae ad templ. S.te Mariae de Pace cum Privil. Summi Pontificis et sup.perm. Anno 1693”

Lower right: “Nicolaus Dorigni delin. et Sculp. 5”

Additional Information

The Italian painter Rafael was commissioned to design and execute a series of frescos for the Villa Farnesina in Rome in 1518. One of these cycles, “The History of Cupid and Psyche”, filled the upper areas of the villa’s loggia. Raphael’s interpretation of the mythological story has been a popular subject of printed illustrations, allowing for the dissemination of the design beyond the walls of the palace. This object—a hand-colored and painted design over a printed engraving—is from a series of twelve plates (plus a frontispiece) made in 1693 by Nicolas Dorigny.