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October 26, 2005

The Awakening Kiss

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The afternoon light in a wing of The Louvre in Paris was hitting the sculpture just right and I managed to get a few frames before it was gone. The sculpture is of Cupid and Psyche, done in 1796 by Italian Antonio CANOVA from a single piece of white marble. There is a great story behind this: Cupid's mother, Venus, the Goddess of Love, sent Cupid to harass Psyche because Psyche is such a beautiful mortal. Cupid, in the company of Psyche pricks himself with one of his arrows and falls madly in love with her. This make Venus even more jealous so she has Psyche put in a deep sleep. Cupid eventually gives Psyche a kiss that awakens her. Later, this also becomes the basis for Sleeping Beauty.

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