CAYOT, Claude-Augustin
(b. 1677, Paris, d. 1722, Paris)

Cupid and Psyche

1706
Marble
Wallace Collection, London

Little work by Cayot survives, but the Cupid and Psyche, signed and dated 1706, is remarkable for its accomplishment. Its pervasive infantile grace is such that Psyche too has become a child - a very unusual motif - but the play between the two children is hardly innocent.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 4 minutes):
Francesco Gasparini: The Meddlesome Cupid, aria