Cupid

Cupid and Psyche (1798), by the French neoclassical painter François Gérard (1770-1837). Cupid (or Eros) was a popular subject in mythological and sentimental works of art, where he is often portrayed as a winged child with a bow and arrows, which he shoots through the hearts of men and women, causing them to fall in love. He fell in love with Psyche, a Greek nymph who personified the soul.

In Roman mythology, the god of love (Greek Eros); son of the goddess of love, Venus, and either Mars, Jupiter, or Mercury. Joyous and mischievous, he is generally represented as a winged, naked boy with a bow and arrow, sometimes with a blindfold, torch, or quiver. According to the Roman poet Ovid, his golden arrows inspired love, while those of lead put love to flight.

Cupid's lover was the princess Psyche. His mother, jealous of her beauty, had asked Cupid to inflame her with desire for the vilest creatures, but he accidentally grazed himself with the arrow instead.