Poor Cupid

Item

Description
Edmonia Lewis occasionally carved sculptures of mythical scenes, which were very popular with American tourists visiting Rome. Poor Cupid, or Love Ensnared, depicts the cherub with his hand caught in a trap as he reaches down for a rose. Frivolous sculptures like this appealed to the Victorian sentimentality of affluent Americans traveling around Europe.
(Smithsonian Collections Search Center)
Identifier
1984.156
Date
modeled ca. 1872, carved 1876
Type
Sculpture
Medium
Marble
Format
27 x 13 3/4 x 12 1/4 in. (68.6 x 34.9 x 31.1 cm.)
Rights
© 2018 Smithsonian