Psyche Abandoned by Cupid

Dateca. 1699

Maker Nicolas Colombel French, 1644 - 1717

Label TextThe jealous goddess Venus sent her son Cupid to make Psyche fall in love with a horrible monster. Instead, Cupid became enamored himself and installed Psyche in a palace where he visited her at night so that she couldn't learn his identity. One night she stole a peek at his beautiful face. Startled awake, Cupid left immediately, and his palace vanished. Psyche wandered the earth searching for her lover, performing impossible tasks set by Venus in hopes of winning him back. Finally, Jupiter intervened: he made Psyche a goddess and reunited her with Cupid, giving their story a happy ending. Here Cupid has just abandoned Psyche, who chases him as he hovers out of reach. This moment allows Colombel, a French artist who trained in Rome, to show the Roman countryside -- the appropriate setting for this classical myth.

Object number2016.24.2

Provenance{Possibly Salon, Paris, 1699 as Psyché abandonee}; Collection of Augustin Blondel de Gagny (1695-1776); sold at his collection sale Dec. 10, 1776 - Jan. 22, 1777, lot no. 210; acquired by [Jean-Baptiste Pierre Le Brun and Nicolas Le Rouge, 1776/1777-1778]; sold at their auction in Paris, Jan. 19, 1778, lot no. 92 (505 livres); Sale, [Le Boeuf, Paris, Apr. 8, 1783, lot no. 72] (“Psyché abandonée par l’Amour; on la voit sur le devant du Tableau tendant les bras & voulant suivre l’Amour que s’envole: l’on y voit encore des fleuves & des Nayades [sic]. Le fond se termine par un beau Paysage & de riches monuments d’architecture. L’on a regardé jusqu’à present & à juste titre ce Tableau comme l’un des plus beaux de ce peintre. Il vient de la vente de M. de Gagny, no. 210, & de notre vente du 19 janvier 1778, no. 92. Hauteur 36 pouces, largeur 60 pouces. T[oile]”); acquired by Comte Jean Balthazar d’Adhémar de Montfalcon (1736-1790), 1783-1788; sold in his sale at [Christie’s, London, March 19, 1788, lot no. 36 (17.6 livres)]; acquired by Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792), 1788-1795; his estate sale at Christie’s, London, Mar. 17, 1795, lot no. 70 (25.4 livres); acquired by [William Dermer], 1795-before 1920; private collection, Berlin, before 1920, and by descent until 2008; acquired by [Bernheimer-Colnaghi, Munich-London, 2008]; acquired by Richard and Elizabeth Hedreen, Seattle, Washington, 2008-2016; to Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, 2016 *The painting has a clean certificate from the Art Loss Register, dated December 22, 2016.

Photo CreditPhoto: Nathaniel Willson

Exhibition HistoryProbably Paris, Salon, 1699. Rouen, France, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Nicolas Colombel, Nov. 2012-Feb. 2013. Text by Karen Chastagnol; pp. 172-173, reproduced on cover.

Credit LineGift of Richard and Elizabeth Hedreen

Dimensions44 7/8 x 57 7/8 in. (114 x 147 cm)

MediumOil on canvas