‘THE WEDDING OF CUPID AND PSYCHE’ AT ALLENTOWN ART MUSEUM

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ALLENTOWN, PENN. — “The Wedding of Cupid and Psyche and The Council of the Gods” is on view through August 3 at the Allentown Art Museum in the Payne Hurd Gallery.

The famous Renaissance frescoes Raphael designed for the ceiling of the garden loggia at the Villa Farnesina in Rome are renowned for being the first large-scale revival of antique subject matter and style. The antics and foibles of the ancient gods, culminating in the wedding of Cupid and Psyche, are given brilliant play in these paintings, which were executed in 1517–18 by the illustrious team of artists working in Raphael’s studio.

Raphael’s fresco designs were reproduced in several sets of engravings by European artists to satisfy collectors’ interest in the antique. This exhibition features one such series of 14 etchings executed in the Seventeenth Century by the accomplished German printmaker, Susanne Maria von Sandrart (1658–1716).

Recently acquired by the museum, these ambitious mythological prints reveal the range of Sandrart’s skill and scope as a professional printmaker. The series adds considerably to the museum’s growing print collection devoted to early women printmakers and is a fine example of the work of this seldom-seen artist.

Several Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century textiles with printed designs depicting the gods and goddesses will also be featured in the exhibition.

The museum is at 31 North 5th Street. For information, www.allentownartmuseum.org or 610-432-4333.