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Mercury and Psyche

Mercury and Psyche (German: Merkur und Psyche) is a marble sculpture by the German artist Reinhold Begas. It was created between 1867 and 1878. The sculpture is held in the collection of the Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin.

Mercury and Psyche sculpture by Reinhold Begas, showing a winged male figure and a woman beside a stone wall.
Mercury and Psyche, a sculpture by Reinhold Begas, shown in the Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin.
September 2011 © · CC BY 3.0
Mercury and Psyche sculpture showing a man with one arm raised and a seated woman holding hands on a rocky base.
Mercury and Psyche by Reinhold Begas, shown as a white stone sculpture on a rocky outcrop.
June 2012 © · Public domain
Mercury and Psyche sculpture showing a muscular male figure lifting a draped female figure against a curved stone wall.
Mercury and Psyche in white stone, shown with the male figure lifting the draped female figure.
April 2017 © · CC BY-SA 2.0
Mercury and Psyche white stone sculpture on a pedestal beside a curved tan stone wall.
The Mercury and Psyche sculpture stands on a pedestal in front of a curved stone wall.
April 2016 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Mercury and Psyche carved in white stone, shown in close-up with one figure looking upward and the other leaning over his shoulder.
Close-up of Mercury and Psyche, carved in white stone, at the Alte Nationalgalerie.
April 2017 © · CC BY-SA 2.0

Identification

TitleMercury and Psyche
German titleMerkur und Psyche
Alternative titleMerkur entführt Psyche
Typemarble sculpture

Historical context

Date1867-1878

Creator

ArtistReinhold Begas
Artist nationalityGerman
SculptorBegas

Discovery and provenance

Commissioned byThe Prussian state
Commissioned workExecution in marble
Exhibited atAcademy Exhibition in Berlin
Exhibited in year1874
Acquisition year1878

Physical characteristics

Model materialPlaster
MaterialMarble

Location and ownership

CollectionAlte Nationalgalerie
Current locationAt the entrance to the Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin
LocationBerlin

History and restoration

Technical examinationExamined with ultrasound for cracks in 2004
Remeasured year2004

Iconography and meaning

SubjectMercury and Psyche
Source textTaken from the Metamorphoses by the Roman poet Apuleius
Mythological backgroundPsyche is the daughter of a king and her beauty eclipses even Venus
Venus's actionOut of jealousy, Venus orders her son Amor to make Psyche fall in love with an ugly demon
Unexpected outcomeInstead, Amor falls in love with Psyche and fathers a child with her
Mercury's role in the storyVenus sends Mercury, the messenger of the gods, to bring Psyche to Olympus for punishment

Significance

Rarity of motifThe subject is much less frequently treated than Amor and Psyche in Western art, literature, and music