1850's Steel Engraving, Psyche, Soul, Cupid, Valentines

1850's steel engraving on heavy rag paper, bookplate, " PSYCHE " Page size: 5 3/4" x 9 1/4" Image: 3" wide x 6 3/4" high. ***Heavy foxing as per photos. The mythological tale of Cupid and Psyche is one of the few Greek & Roman myths that has not fully become assimilated into modern consciousness. Though adapted somewhat into the better known "Beauty and the Beast"—first written by French author Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont as "La Belle et la Bete"—the correlation to the earlier ancient text is relatively unrecognized. Cupid, known as Eros in Greek, is often still portrayed as a chubby baby cherub with a fondness for arrows, and Psyche is still predominately unknown outside the psychological community –"psyche" means " soul" in ancient Greek and was subsequently utilized in the literature of psychologists. However, in the ancient world, Cupid & Psyche's love was well documented & appreciated among literary scholars. Â