A French bronze group of Cupid and Psyche

The present group, L'Amour se confie à l'Amitié, formed part of Carrier-Belleuse's (d. 1887) début collection submitted to the Paris Salon of 1857. The group resembles work modelled by the sculptor earlier in England and, although conceived in the spirit of the 18th century, it is typically 19th century with its accessories and exacting detail. It is a sensitive depiction of the story of Cupid and Psyche from the late Antique fairy tale by Lucius Auleius, The Golden Ass (2nd Century A.D.).