After a cartoon by François Boucher (1703–1770)
Woven at the Manufacture Royale de Beauvais (French, founded 1664) under the direction of André Charlemagne Charron (French, director 1754–80)
France, Beauvais
![Psyche's Entrance into Cupid's Palace [right fragment] from the Story of Psyche](https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/820dd6a7-172e-ea8f-a7b0-9804a45467d5/full/843,/0/default.jpg)
Psyche's Entrance into Cupid's Palace [right fragment] from the Story of Psyche
INV-4922
After a cartoon by François Boucher (1703–1770)
Woven at the Manufacture Royale de Beauvais (French, founded 1664) under the direction of André Charlemagne Charron (French, director 1754–80)
France, Beauvais1756/63
Psyche's Entrance into Cupid's Palace [right fragment] from the Story of Psyche
After a cartoon by François Boucher (1703–1770) Woven at the Manufacture Royale de Beauvais (French, founded 1664) under the direction of André Charlemagne Charron (French, director 1754–80) France, Beauvais →Rococoweaving - tapestrydecorative arts
Date
1756/63
Medium
Wool and silk; tapestry weave
Dimensions
170.2 × 357 cm (67 × 140 3/4 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Chauncey McCormick and Mrs. Richard Ely Danielson
A delicate lilting sensibility suffuses this tapestry inspired by ancient Roman mythology. Beautiful young attendants of the gods and goddesses, known as nymphs, play music to celebrate the arrival of Princess Psyche at Cupid's palace. Cupid, the god of love, hid Psyche from the envious gaze of his mother, Venus, the goddess of beauty and fruitfulness. The graceful forms of the nymphs' bodies complement the soaring architecture of the palace interior. The flower garland wrapped around the column, as well as the lush folding of the figures' garment and the rug, further enhance the sensorially rich world the tapestry depicts. Unsurprisingly, contemporary operatic interpretations of the story of Cupid and Psyche influenced François Boucher's design.
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