The Cup of Love
1887
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
Oil on wood
Dimensions
12 x 10 in. (25.4 x 30.5 cm)
Classification
Painting
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Harold G. Henderson, 1976
Accession Number
1976.106.2
Tags
Art Historical Context
Elihu Vedder's *The Cup of Love* (1887) is a captivating small-scale oil painting on wood, measuring just 12 x 10 inches, now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of's American Wing. This intimate work draws viewers into a mythological scene featuring Cupid, male figures, and female n, evoking themes of desire and enchantment. The title suggests a symbolic "potion" of love, rendered with Vedder's signature dreamlike elegance. Vedder, a prominent American artist of the late 19th, blended influences from the Pre-Raphaelites, Aesthetic Movement, and Italian Renaissance masters during his years in R...
About the Artist
Elihu Vedder · 1836–1923
Elihu Vedder was born on February 26, 1836, in New York City to Dr. Elihu Vedder Sr., a dentist, and his cousin Elizabeth Vedder. As a young boy, his family relocated to Cuba for his father's ventures, an experience that sparked his artistic aspirations amid the Caribbean landscapes. He later divided his time between a boarding school and his maternal grandfather Alexander Vedder's home in Schenec...