Psyche was said to be the prettiest daughter of her father, so much so that no one dared to even approach her. She was often compared to Aphrodite herself, which she didn’t like because Aphrodite’s rage was not unheard of. In a fit of rage, Aphrodite orders to punish Psyche by making her fall in love with the most hideous creature imaginable. Eros was given the duty of taking her. When consulted by Psyche’s father, the oracle said that she would have a difficult life and was destined to marry a hideous, snake-like creature. To appease the angry gods, Psyche was tied to the edge of the mountain, for the creature to take her away. However, it wasn’t a creature awaiting her, but rather Cupid (Eros), who instantly fell in love. So, Psyche and Eros consummated, but she was clearly told never to see his face. And she blindly trusted him. Gerard paints Psyche as oblivious and blind to her husband, who kisses her despite not knowing who he is. The hilly view starkly stands with Cupid’s wings, a difference between mortality and divinity. The daisies show the innocence of their love, and the butterfly above Psyche’s head symbolises her soul (also known as psyche). The scene is intimate, soft, a stark change from what the preestablished neoclassicism was about.

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