Psyché ranimée par le baiser de l'Amour (Psyche revived by the kiss of Love). Marble, 1793.
executed by Antonio Canova (Italian, 1757–1822) at the commission of Colonel John Campbell, 1787; later purchased by Joachim Murat, 1801, housed at the Louvre, Department of Sculptures, Denon, ground floor, room 4EmpireLady is a little tattered today and, feeling all of her 235 years, seems beyond the reach of the reviving power of love, but finds beauty in its stead. The image is of course as perfect as its subject: a split second analysis of the composition will reveal a perfect use of the golden section, as does its subject, through which the divine proportions seem to tumble.
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