Engraving, 1573-74. 356x230 mm; 14 1/8x9 1/8 inches. First state (of 4). Crossed arrows watermark. Trimmed on or just inside the plate mark, with the narrow black border line preserved all around. A brilliant, richly-inked impression with all the details distinct, with strong contrasts and with no sign of wear, consistent with the earliest impressions of this subject.
Based on a fresco from around 1528 in the Sala di Psiche in the Palazzo del Te, Mantua. Like the fresco, the engraving shows Cupid and Psyche reclining on a bed with their child Voluptas between them, as they're crowned with laurel wreaths. Behind the bed, Ceres pours water from a pitcher on to Cupid's hand, which rests on a dish held by Juno. Bartsch 45; Lewis 50.
