Thorvaldsen’s preoccupation with the motifs of Cupid and Psyche was never as intensive as in the first decade of the 19th century. And, like Mary with the Infant Jesus, Caritas, Apollo, Cupid and others, Psyche is also an independent motif in a small number of Thorvaldsen’s much larger artistic drawings. This is an illustration for the important scene in the story of Cupid and Psyche when Psyche ventures to take a lamp to catch a glimpse of the sleeping god of love. The motif is again seen in a relief from 1841.
