The work

The sculptural group was created between 1818 and 1820 by Adamo Tadolini and is a replica of the sculpture commissioned from Antonio Canova by the Russian prince Yusupoff (now preserved in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg), derived from the original plaster model that Canova himself had donated to his favourite pupil Tadolini with permission to make as many copies as he wished.

The famous group had several versions: a first marble version in 1792, created for Captain Campbell and purchased by Murat, is now in the Louvre. A second version is in the Hermitage, created for the aforementioned Russian prince.

There are differences between the first and second versions regarding the dimensions (the Louvre version is smaller), the positioning of the wings, and the positions of the faces. Even the copy preserved at Villa Carlotta is not identical to its model, suggesting that the plaster cast donated by Canova to Tadolini was further revised by the Master in his pursuit of absolute perfection.

Carved, with the exception of the wings, from a single block of Carrara marble of exceptional beauty, the sculpture arrived in Tremezzo in 1834, where due to its great quality it was long mistaken for an autograph work by Canova and became one of the most famous icons of sensuality and passion.

Cupid and Psyche in Apuleius' Metamorphoses

Sculpted in marble is one of the most intense moments of the tale of Cupid and Psyche, a work by the Latin writer Apuleius and included in "The Metamorphoses", dating back to the 2nd century AD.
Psyche was a girl of rare and absolute beauty, beloved and celebrated for her incredible charm. Venus, envious of her beauty, decided to take revenge with the help of her son Cupid, who was supposed to make her fall in love with a rude and mean man.

However, as soon as Cupid saw Psyche, he fell madly in love with her and decided, with the help of Zephyr, to transport her to his palace. There, Psyche spent every night with Cupid, but was never allowed to look at her lover's face: Cupid, in fact, never revealed his identity, to avoid the wrath of his mother Venus. But the girl's curiosity got the better of her, and one night Psyche took a lantern to see her husband's face. A drop of boiling wax fell on Cupid's shoulder, who awoke and, enraged, abandoned Psyche.

Psyche was then subjected to a series of terrible trials arranged by Venus. The final test was the most difficult: descending into the Underworld and asking the goddess Proserpina to grant her a part of her beauty. Thus, Psyche received a vial from Proserpina and, filled with curiosity, opened it, discovering that the vessel contained not beauty, but rather a hellish sleep that sent her into a deep slumber. Cupid, upon learning of his lover's tragic fate, reached her and saved her from the deadly sleep.