Mercury Abducting Psyche

In a striking spiral movement, the god Mercury (recognizable by his winged helmet and heels) appears to lift off the ground, carrying Psyche in his arms. The young woman is frozen in surprise: her parted lips and downward-facing palm suggest her astonishment as the earth slips away beneath her. Above her head, she carefully holds an oblong vase containing a precious beauty elixir, perilously retrieved from the Underworld at the command of the formidable goddess Venus.

Presented here in a marble-infused resin reproduction, the original sculpture is cast in dark bronze. The theme of abduction lends itself to a composition with no fixed viewpoint, inviting viewers to walk around it and discover new twists from every angle, along with shifting balances and intricate details.

Dutch sculptor Adrien de Vries masterfully stages a moment from the 2nd-century tale by Apuleius, in which Mercury is sent to carry Psyche, known as the most beautiful mortal of her time, up to Mount Olympus where she will wed Cupid. It is a celebration of perseverance, courage, and love fulfilled.

Cast in Prague by a Dutch artist for a German emperor, later kept by a Swedish queen and gifted to a French monarch, this masterpiece—rooted in the mythology of ancient Rome—seems to embody the very spirit of Europe itself.