With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, we wanted to share one of the most romantic pieces in our collection. The marble statuary group “Cupid and Psyche” by Italian sculptor Giovanni Maria Benzoni (1809-1873) can be found in the Marble Hall of Chateau-sur-Mer. Completed in 1852, the grouping depicts a scene from a Roman myth that has captured the imagination of artists since antiquity. The god Cupid, son of Venus, falls in love with the mortal Psyche but she must undergo trials to secure their love and obtain immortality. Here Cupid is shown at the moment he is about to fly to his mother to deliver the "Box of Beauty" meant to calm Venus' anger against Psyche. The box is represented as a lidded jar which Cupid holds overhead with both hands. As part of her trials Psyche traveled to the underworld to retrieve the box from the goddess Persephone. (Gift of Hon. and Mrs. Claiborne Pell, 2004.) #NewportMansions #chateausurmer #sundayread #sundayfunday #valentine #valentinesday #lov...