Psyche Presenting the Phial of Water to Venus
18th century
Medium
Red chalk, with traces of graphite, on cream laid paper
Dimensions
23.7 × 17.6 cm (9 3/8 × 6 15/16 in.)
Classification
chalk
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
3697
Art Historical Context
In the enchanting drawing *Psyche Presenting the Phial Water to Venus*, attributed to the Renaissance master Raphael, we witness a pivotal moment from the ancient Roman myth recounted in Apuleius' *The Golden Ass*. Here, Psyche, the mortal beloved of Cupid, humbly offers a phial of enchanted water to the goddess Venus as part of her arduous trials to prove her worth. Raphael, a cornerstone of High Renaissance art, often explored classical mythology in his preparatory sketches, blending graceful figures with emotional depth to evoke the harmony of human form and divine narrative. Executed in t...
About the Artist
Raphael · 1483–1520
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, known simply as Raphael, was born on March 28 or April 6, 1483, in the cultured Duchy of Urbino to the court painter and poet Giovanni Santi and his wife Màgia Ciarla. Orphaned young—his mother died when he was eight and his father when he was eleven—Raphael was raised in Urbino's refined court under the guardianship of his paternal uncle Bartolomeo. He received his ear...