Cupid and Psyche

One of the many projects which Raphael was commissioned to fulfil during the reign of Pope Leo X was the decoration of the garden loggia in the suburban villa of his long-time patron Agostino Chigi, banker - and friend - to the previous Pope, Julius II. A feminine, sensual and profane equivalent to Michelangelo's frescoes for the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, the project was sadly never finished - so it does not tell all of this wonderful story. During the talk, I will tell the whole story, filling in the gaps from works of art across the centuries - from Renaissance to Neo-Classical - as well as filling in a few gaps in Raphael's working practice that, even with four talks under our belts, we haven't fully discussed. After my summer pause, this should be a light-hearted aperitif before the autumn season... n.b. this talk is on a Tuesday!