Artwork
Psyche Obtaining the Elixir of Beauty from Proserpine
Psyche Obtaining the Elixir of Beauty from Proserpine is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Charles-Joseph Natoire. It dates from 1735 and is held in the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1735 by French artist Charles‑Joseph Natoire, this oil painting portrays a moment from classical mythology in which Psyche seeks the elixir of beauty from Proserpine. Executed in the Rococo idiom, the work is now part of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s collection.
Subject & Meaning
A male figure bearing a trident appears on the left, while another man crouches in the foreground, suggesting the presence of Dis Pater.
The composition brings together three mythological figures: Psyche, dressed in white with a brown cloak, reaches toward Proserpine, who sits on a stone pedestal in a blue robe and holds a golden cup. A male figure bearing a trident appears on the left, while another man crouches in the foreground, suggesting the presence of Dis Pater. The narrative captures the tension of Psyche’s quest for divine favor.
Technique & Style
Natoire employs a chiaroscuro treatment that models the figures against a cloudy sky and a dark archway, creating dramatic contrasts of light and shadow. The delicate brushwork and pastel palette reflect Rococo’s ornamental sensibility, while the careful rendering of drapery and the reflective surface of the cup demonstrate the artist’s skill in oil paint.
History & Provenance
A pupil of François Lemoyne, Natoire later directed the French Academy in Rome. He produced a series of decorative panels on the story of Psyche for the Hôtel de Soubise in Paris, of which this canvas is a component. After changing hands over the centuries, the painting entered the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s holdings in the late twentieth century.
Context
The work belongs to a broader Rococo fascination with mythological subjects rendered for aristocratic interiors. Its inclusion in the Hôtel de Soubise decoration program linked it to the decorative ambitions of the French elite, while its classical references aligned with the period’s taste for allegory and elegance.
Artist & collection
Artist
Charles-Joseph Natoire (3 March 1700 – 23 August 1777) was a French painter in the Rococo manner, a pupil of François Lemoyne and director of the French Academy in Rome, 1751–1775.
