The Flight of Cupid

Series Title: Of the Love of Cupid and Psyche, De Cupidinis et Psyches amoribu

1901

Charles de Sousy Ricketts

(British, 1866–1931)

Culture

England, early 20th Century

Medium

wood engraving

Measurements

Image: 9.8 x 8.5 cm (3 7/8 x 3 3/8 in.); Sheet: 16.6 x 12.4 cm (6 9/16 x 4 7/8 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Leonard C. Hanna Jr. 1947.445

You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.

Location

Not on view

Description

Charles S. Ricketts created this print for his edition of ancient Roman philosopher Lucius Apuleius’s De Cupidinis et Psyches amoribus (Of the Love of Cupid and Psyche). He focused on the moment when the god of love, Cupid, spreads his wings to abandon his mortal lover Psyche. The dramatic imagery is characteristic of the kinds of illustrations Ricketts composed for books produced by his private publishing firm, the Vale Press, which he established to address what he saw as the declining quality of mass-produced publications. Like William Morris, Ricketts was involved in all aspects of his books: he designed the bindings, illustrations, borders, initials, and even the typefaces used by his press.