Cupid And Psyche, An 18th-century Venetian Painting

A charming antique oil painting on canvas mounted on cardboard, depicting an intimate and tender embrace between two winged mythological figures, identifiable in the iconography of Cupid and Psyche (or Venus and Cupid). The work stands out for the extraordinary softness of its chiaroscuro transitions, the delicacy of the skin tones, and a warm, velvety color palette—elements that underscore its excellent execution.Given its stylistic characteristics, graceful lines, and the freshness of the painterly brushwork—enriched by traces of an underlying pencil drawing—the work belongs squarely to the 18th-century Venetian school, firmly placing it within the circle of the renowned master Jacopo Amigoni (1682–1752). The nature of the painting on canvas applied to cardboard highlights the work’s origin as a preparatory sketch or “model” for study, conceived independently and not as a fragment of a larger composition.
The painting is set within a sumptuous Baroque cartouche frame made of finely carved and gold-leaf gilded wood, dating from a later period, the 19th century
On the reverse of the work is an important period inscription in ink: “Small painting of the Beppi Stefanelli family.” This is a historical reference of great value: the Beppi Stefanelli family was an influential and well-known Venetian patrician family, historically linked to high-profile commissions, collecting, and the art world of the 18th century
Condition as shown in photos
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