C.W. Eckersberg
Amor and Psyche, c. 1809
Oil on canvas, 36,5 × 32 cm
Inventory number: 0254 NMK
Acquired with support from The Nivaagaard Collection’s private donors, 2023

The subject relates to the ancient myth of the god of love, Cupid, and the mortal princess Psyche. They fall in love, but should not be together. The painting depicts the scene where Cupid wakes up and discovers that Psyche has broken her promise not to try to see him, whereupon he tries to escape. Injecting a new kind of realism into the subject, Eckersberg sets the scene in a bedroom, where a dim light emphasises the erotic nature of the story. The Nivaagaard Collection also owns a depiction of Cupid and Psyche by Eckersberg’s teacher, Nicolai Abildgaard.

Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg (1783-1853)
Eckersberg studied under Nicolai Abildgaard and art historically, he has been proclaimed the Father of Danish Painting, because he was the first professor to establish a school and his students include many of the most famous Golden Age painters. He broke with the idealising art of the 1700s and introduced a new form of realism based on nature studies and compositional principles. In 1810, he won the Academy’s prestigious gold medal, and subsequently spent a year in Paris studying under the great neo-classical painter Jacques-Louis David. Eckersberg was the very first to introduce direct study from nature at the Art Academy, and in doing so, had a decisive impact on the development of Golden Age art in Denmark. He was greatly influential for numerous young artists such as Martinus Rørbye, Christen Købke, Constantin Hansen, Jørgen Roed and Wilhelm Marstand.