Cupid and Psyche, whose height is 148 cm and length is 63 cm, entered the monastery in 1815; This was collected by Josephine de Pohanias in the castle of Malmaisen near Paris. Quantity of inventory: Н.ск- 17。 By the end of the 18th century, Canova was the leader of the neoclassical movement. The theory of the neoclassical movement was first proposed by Johann Joachim Winckelmann, a German scholar. Winkelman believed that ancient art reached the height of ideal beauty and should be imitated in modern works. In order to reflect his ideal beauty, Canova repeatedly described Cupid and his beloved Psyche. A group of people standing is regarded as the embodiment of innocence. They form a pair with a group of people of Cupid. Cupid's psychology is inclined, symbolizing lewdness. The young Psyche (which means "soul" in Greek) took Cupid's hand and leaned his head on her shoulder. She gently handed him a butterfly - a symbol of the ancient Greek soul, suggesting that she had given her whole soul to her beloved. Canova excellently captured the calm contemplation of the young lovers, their elegant movements, soft draped curtains and the smooth outline of the whole group. His contemporaries described Canova as a "sculptor of elegance and youth", believing that his works reflected their perception of beauty.

Cupid and Psec-2, the height of this exhibit is 148 cm, the length is 172 cm, and it entered the monastery in 1926; Appropriated from the National Museum Fund; Originally collected in Zizi Yushupo, the inventory quantity is: Н.ск- 1252。 The neo classical theory elaborated in the works of Johann Joachim Winckelmann, a German scholar and philosopher, was vividly embodied in the works of Antonio Canova, an outstanding Italian sculptor at the end of the 18th century. His sculptures were very popular at the end of the 18th century, and still are today. He produced two versions for Cupid and Psyche, two sculpture groups; One of them is now in the Louvre in Paris, and the version of Hermitage was originally commissioned by Prince Yusupov. This sculpture was made in 1796 and once stood in a room of Arkhangelskoye, a rural villa in the suburb of Moscow belonging to Yusubo. Roman writer Apuleus told the poetic legend of Cupid and Psyche. Cupid's mother, the goddess Venus, envied the beauty of her son's beloved, and sent Saiji to the underworld to get a container containing the beautiful ointment of Prosephina. She was forbidden to open it. Saiji couldn't help looking into the bottle and immediately fell into a deep sleep. Only Cupid's kiss brought her back to life. The composition of this group of works is based on smooth rhythmic lines. The light movements, elegant posture and decorative techniques of the characters make it one of the most lovely sculptures of Canova.

Cupid and Psyche are stories of losing trust and betrayal. Psyche was the youngest of the three daughters of the ancient Greek king. She was famous for her incomparable beauty, so that people began to call her Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. Before long, the real Aphrodite heard about this, and was so jealous that she sent her son Eros to secretly give Psyche a magic potion, which would make no man fall in love with her or desire to marry her.
Eros may not be very famous, but his other name is widely known, that is, Cupid. Cupid did not disobey his mother's order, but did as she told him, and gave Psyche a magic drug. But he mistakenly shot Psyche with his arrow of love. He was upset and didn't know what to do. He released another arrow, this time he shot himself.
We know what happens when Cupid's arrow hits, and eternal love follows, and Cupid and Psyche are fascinated. The process of true love has never been smooth. The magic potion taken by Psyche has played its magic. Psyche watched his two sisters fall in love with each other, get married and have children. He did not know what kind of suffering he had suffered. He was indifferent to men, and men seemed immune to her famous beauty.

Psyche's dilemma made his father very distressed. Without solving the problem, he went to Delphi to consult the oracle. The answer was not pleasant. Father Apollo told Psyche's father, who dared not disobey the oracle, that she must wear black clothes and be taken to the remote mountain top, where she would stay alone until her future husband appeared.
Psyche did not know that Cupid had a plan. As long as Psyche was left on the top of the mountain, the plan would be implemented. At Cupid's request, the Wind God took the abandoned Psyche to Cupid's palace, which was located in the beautiful valley, where she was taken care of by a group of servants, and her every wish was their order.
Psyche is only visited by her husband at night. He will show up with a cloak. He is a good lover, but he will never allow her to look directly into his face. He makes her swear never to peep. Psyche didn't know that her husband was Cupid! For Psyche, time passed peacefully. Her night was exciting. But because it was the only time her husband visited every day, and her days were empty, she asked her husband to allow her sisters to visit. Cupid agreed.

When the sisters arrived, they were full of envy when they saw such a luxurious lifestyle of Psyche. They began to fill Psyche's head with nonsense and told her that her husband was a hairy monster, which was why he never allowed her to see him. They advised her that when her husband fell asleep, she should take an oil lamp and a knife with her, just in case, in case things go against her wishes, and see the truth for herself.
She did, and it became clear that her husband was not a hairy beast, but Cupid, the god of love. Psyche was shocked and trembling. A drop of oil from the lamp dropped on the shoulder of Love, burning him, and the pain woke him up. He only found Psyche high above, waving a knife. Out of fear of his life, Cupid quickly fled the scene and scolded Psyche for not trusting him.

Cupid felt betrayed, refused Psyche's apology, and vowed never to see her again. After being abandoned by the God of Love, Psyche felt ashamed. Psyche tried to drown himself, but the fairies on the river pitied her. She was washed up on the bank, where she regained her senses and set out to look for the God of Love to see if they could not solve the problem.
After Aphrodite discovered it, he realized his son's sadness and ordered his servant to find Psyche and bring her to the goddess. Aphrodite gave Psyche three tasks to atone for her actions and save her life.
The first task was to divide a pile of poppy seeds, chickpeas and lentils into different piles. With the help of some ants nearby, Psyche quickly completed the task.
The second task, Psyche, was to peel the wool skin from a fierce man eating golden sheep. This task worried Psyche a little, until a passing fairy suggested that she wait until the sheep fell asleep, gently remove the loose wool, and collect other wool that might fall on the ground around it or caught in the trees brushed by the sheep. In this way, Psyche successfully completed the second task.
The third task is also a trap. She wants to go to Hades in the underworld and take Persephone's box back to Aphrodite, which contains beautiful elixir. Aphrodite warns her that she cannot open the box under any circumstances. Aphrodite knew that the potion in the box was not a beauty pill, but a curse of eternal sleep. Unexpectedly, Psyche managed to get the box back and was happy for herself. She thought that a little magic beauty medicine could help her win back Cupid's love, so she opened the box and fell asleep instantly.

When Psyche was busy with her task, Cupid was prevented from helping her in the future. Cupid was imprisoned in her mansion by Aphrodite. Cupid tried to escape and find his true love. He came to Psyche and found the sleeping Psyche. Quickly thinking, he wakes Psyche from his trance sleep with his kiss. Cupid reunited with his lover and begged Zeus to regard their secret marriage as legal. Zeus not only realized his wish, but also granted eternal life to Psyche and declared her the Goddess of Human Soul.