Antonio Canova, Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss (1787–93). Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. The story of Cupid and Psyche is a classic tale of lovers overcoming endless obstacles, including betrayal, separation, disapproving parents, a near-death experience, and the fact that she was a mere mortal and he the god of love. Of course, in the end, love does indeed conquer all. In the second century, Lucius Apuleius’s novel Metamorphoses detailed the tumultuous relationship, which became a popular theme in artworks across mediums. The tale begins with Psyche, a beautiful girl born to nobility and treated with the deference of a goddess, who was punished by the vengeful Venus for attracting such devotion as a mortal. She sends the god of love himself, Cupid, to curse the young woman, but upon laying eyes on Psyche, Cupid falls hopelessly in love with her. He visits her nightly and implores her not to look at his face, lest she realize who her lover is. Unable to resist, Psyche betrays her beloved’s confidence and peeks through the shadows to see him.