Cupid makes one of the most attractive subjects in sculpture. We know
him at a glance, whether beside his mother, with Psyche, or alone.
The Cupid of the illustration is the work of Michael Angelo. It was
discovered forty years ago hidden away in the cellars of the Ruccelli
Palace, Florence, and passed by purchase into the possession of the
English nation and is now in the South Kensington Museum.
Cupid is seen in the statue as a well-grown youth, a noble conception
of the young god. He seems to stand for a love that is determined, for
a love that conquers every obstacle. He has dropped on one knee to take
an arrow from the ground. In his raised left hand he holds the bow.
[Illustration]
Vulcan.
“The Crippled Artist God.”
“_He made the gods their golden shoes,
And shod their steeds with brass._”