CIRCA LATE 1ST CENTURY B.C.-EARLY 1ST CENTURY A.D.

Here Eros holds a butterfly, representing Psyche, in his left hand. Scenes of Cupid and Psyche in glyptic art often involve the god toying with his bride, whether in her anthropomorphic or zoomorphic form - for example, he is shown dangling a butterfly over a torch (Fitzwilliam Museum, inventory no. B163), and even burning the feet of a naked and bound Psyche (Paris, Cabinet Des Médailles, in V. Platt, 'Burning Butterflies: Seals, Symbols and the Soul in Antiquity' in L. Gilmour (ed.), Pagans and Christians - from Antiquity to the Middle Ages, London, 2007, p. 96). Such images have been argued to have a potent allegorical meaning, representing Eros's, i.e. love's, torturous treatment of the soul (V. Platt, p. 94).