  About the Artwork
  
  
  Eros (or Cupid), the son of Venus, visited Psyche every night proclaiming his love but concealing his identity in the darkness. Eventually Psyche's curiosity overcame her, and when one night she held a lantern up to see him, Eros became very angry and left her. The story ends happily in the reunion and marriage of the lovers. The scene in this painting is very unusual; most depictions of this theme show either Eros visiting Psyche or Psyche shining her lantern upon Eros, so the exact subject here is in dispute.
Born in Modena and active in the early part of his career in Bologna, Niccolo dell' Abate moved to France in 1552. He and the other Italian artists working at the court of the French kings at Fontainebleau spread the mannerist style which was popular in the artistic centers of Italy.
  
  
  Title
  Eros and Psyche
  
  
  Artwork Date
  between 1512 and 1571
  
  Artist
  Niccolò dell&#039; Abbate
  
  
  
  Life Dates
  1512-1571
  
  
  
  
  Nationality
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events.
  Some definitions include:
  Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation.
  
  
  
  Italian
  
  
  
  Culture
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group.
  
  
  
  
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  Medium
  Oil on canvas
  
  
  Dimensions
  Unframed: 39 1/4 × 36 1/2 inches (99.7 × 92.7 cm)
  Framed: 50 1/4 × 48 7/8 × 2 1/2 inches (127.6 × 124.2 × 6.4 cm)
  
  
  Classification
  Paintings
  
  
  Department
  European Painting
  
  
  Credit
  Founders Society Purchase, Robert H. Tannahill Foundation Fund
  
  
  
  Accession Number
  
  
  
  This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection.
  Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings.
  For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups.
  
  
  
  65.347
  
  
  Copyright
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