Psyche Abandoned
by PAJOU, Augustin, Marble, height 180 cm
Pajou was in Rome from 1751 to 1756. The marble statue of Psyche signed and dated 1790, begun in 1783, was commissioned from the artist as a counterpart to a statue of Amor by Bouchardon. Inspired by a tale of Apuleius, it represents a nude Psyche, seated, at the moment when Eros has just left her. At her feet is the dagger; by her side the lamp with oil flowing out of it. The modelling is lively and the pose natural; the charm and sensitivity of Pajou’s art are accompanied by a return to classical antiquity which is characteristic of his time.