Mercury carrying Psyche to Olympus, after Raphael's composition in the Villa Farnesina, Rome
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 9 15/16 × 6 15/16 in. (25.3 × 17.7 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1917
Accession Number
17.50.16-11
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the lush frescoes of Rome's Villa Farnesina, Raphael immortalized the ancient myth of Cupid andche around 1517–18, drawing from Apuleius's *Golden Ass*. This enchanting engraving by Giovanni Jacopo Caraglio a pivotal moment: Mercury, the swift-footed messenger god, soaring through the clouds to carry the mortal Psyche to Olympus for her divine apotheosis and marriage to Cupid. Associated with Raphael's workshop—possibly involving his pupil Giulio Romano—the composition exemplifies High Renaissance ideals of graceful anatomy, dynamic movement, and ethereal beauty. Created as an engraving ar...
About the Artist
Giovanni Jacopo Caraglio|Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio or Santi)|Giulio Romano · 1500–1565
Italian, Parma or Verona ca. 1500/1505–1565 Krakow (?)