• Bertel Thorvaldsen

  1770-1844

Cupid and a Butterfly

• Production Date

  No earlier than September 1831

• Type of Work / Object

  Sculpture > Relief

• Location

  • Denmark > Copenhagen > Thorvaldsens Museum > Main Floor > Room 3

• Inventory Number

  A397

• Catalogue Number

  A397

• Catalogue Level / Collection

  Thorvaldsen's Art > Thorvaldsen's Sculptures (A)

Explanation

• The butterfly is a symbol of the human soul, and when Thorvaldsen shows Cupid making a net to catch the butterfly, this is to illustrate that love is also a thing of the spirit.

Motif / Theme

• Animal > Butterfly
• Human > God > Erotes > Eros / Cupid
• General Subject > Greek and Roman mythology

Additional Catalogue Information