The theme of Cupid (Love) and Psyche (Soul) has inspired many artists and one of those was Antonio Canova, who in 1787 created a stunning sculpture, known as "Psyche revived by Cupid's kiss". The origin of his muse is a charming myth that has its roots in ancient Greece.<br><br>The myth starts from the jealousy of Aphrodite, Cupid’s mother and goddess of love and beauty, over the famed beauty of Psyche, the daughter of a king. Aphrodite asks her son to harm Psyche, without anticipating that Cupid too would fall in love with her. She imprisons her son and commits Psyche to three trials (the tortures of a soul in love) before she can live with him.<br><br>In the final trial, she is forced to descend to Hades (the world of the dead) and take the elixir of youth from Persephone; she is forbidden from opening the pot of elixir. Psyche fails to keep her promise, opens the pot and immediately falls into a deep sleep, as instead of the elixir, it turns out to be Morpheus the god of sleep hiding inside the pot. When Cupid learns of her fate, he escapes and runs to Zeus on Mount Olympus, begging him to save Psyche. Zeus, excited by Cupid’s love for Psyche, makes her immortal so that they may be together forever.<br><br>The single act represented by the sculpture is the moment when Cupid awakens Psyche with a kiss. Today, this remarkable sculpture is to be found in the Louvre.<br>