Psyche Throwing Herself into the River

Description

Psyche, a mortal, has been abandoned by her lover, the god Cupid, in this print. The young woman steps sobbing into a river as her hair flows behind her. This image is one of the few illustrations ultimately realized from an early collaboration between designer William Morris and artist Edward Burne-Jones. Centered on Morris’s retelling of ancient myths and legends, the project was abandoned after they had engraved the illustrations for one of the 24 stories because the pair was unable to find a suitable publisher. The experience ultimately led Morris to establish his own firm, the Kelmscott Press.

Provenance

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Psyche Throwing Herself into the River

William Morris

1865–68

Accession Number

1981.90

Medium

wood engraving

Dimensions

to borderline: 10.5 x 8.2 cm (4 1/8 x 3 1/4 in.); Sheet: 13.2 x 11.8 cm (5 3/16 x 4 5/8 in.)

Classification

Print

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland