After Antonio Canova. Psyche.

After Antonio Canova (1757-1822). A patinated bronze statuette representing Psyche standing holding a butterfly. It rests on a circular green marble base.
Italy, first half of the 19th century.
Total height: 31.5 cm.
Commissioned in 1789 from Canova by the English amateur Henry Blundell, “Psyche”, completed in 1792, was sent before the summer of 1793 to London, where it was briefly exhibited, then transported to Ince Blundell House, near Liverpool. Canova chose to represent the young heroine contemplating the butterfly as if it were a meditation on her soul. It is the quintessence of a work inspired by the Ancients but which resolutely departs from them. Psyche's body undulates subtly and takes possession of the space. Her right leg slightly set back, and the fall of folds on her left side invite the viewer to turn around her. The selection of the subject - the concentration of the young girl staring at the butterfly - allows a theatricalization of the "chosen moment" which is a constant in Canova's art.