The collection of the Ivanovo Museum of Local History named after Dmitry Burylin includes sculptures that were inspired by Greek mythology.

The sculpture called “Cupid and Psyche” was created by an unknown sculptor and portrays the story of the tragic love of Psyche and Cupid — the god of affection and the son of Aphrodite (Venus in Roman mythology). Psyche was a king’s daughter, and her beauty was legendary — her admirers often compared her to Aphrodite herself. Understandably enough, the goddess, worshiped for her divine beauty, was outraged that a mortal could be put on a par with her. Infuriated, she sent her son Cupid (Eros in Greek mythology) to the princess to make her fall in love with the most miserable and vile man on Earth, so that the girl would never know marital happiness. However, things did not go according to plan: the young god ended up falling in love with Psyche and began to scare away all her suitors.

As time passed, Psyche’s two sisters got married, and the king was deeply saddened by his younger daughter’s loneliness. He listened to the Oracle’s predictions that an extraordinary destiny awaited the girl, and in order to be found by her soulmate, beautiful Psyche was taken to the rock spire and left there alone. Having fulfilled all the instructions, the princess, wearing a wedding dress, awaited her fate, and soon Zephyr, the god of wind, carried her to a huge palace full of riches that exceeded even her father’s fortune. Psyche enjoyed her happy married life in the palace, but her husband remained very mysterious and came to her only at night, hiding in the darkness. Her sisters, consumed with envy, advised her to try and see who her husband really was, and so, while he slept, she lit a lamp and, struck by the perfect beauty of Aphrodite’s son, accidentally spilled hot oil on his shoulder. Cupid was offended by his wife’s disrespect and left her. Psyche never stopped hoping to reunite with her husband and wandered around the world, searching for him. She reached Aphrodite’s abode and, despite the trials and intrigues that the goddess of love and beauty put her through, was able to reunite with her husband, who had recovered from the burns and forgiven her. Cupid even pleaded with Zeus (Jupiter in Roman mythology) to grant immortality to Psyche and save the lovers from the pain of separation. Psyche was granted immortality and eternal youth, and the couple had a daughter named Voluptas, who would become the goddess of sensual pleasures.