Original hand-colored 1693 engraving captioned in latin: "Mercurius uocalis Deus ex Louis mandato Deos omnes ad concionem conuocat de Cupidinis ac Psyches coniugio sententiam laturi". Mercury is depicted in a waving coat.  This print is from a series of twelve engravings by Nicolas Dorigny on laid paper after frescos by Raphael which can be found in Villa Farnesina.  The frescos depict the myth of Cupid and Psyche from the Golden Ass, a story in Metamorphoses, an ancient Roman novel by Apuleius.  Framed to museum-grade standards in a 1 3/8 inch wide handmade 22K gold leaf wood frame, with a blue conservation mat, and protected by Tru Vue Optium Museum Acrylic® glazing.  Mat opening size: 16  x 27 inches; overall size with frame: 23 x 34 inches.  As with all of our framed art, the frame and framing materials are new.

Sir Nicolas Dorigny (1658-1746) was a Parisian-born French engraver, the youngest son of Michel Dorigny. His education prepared him for the legal field, and he followed that profession until he was thirty years of age, when, as a result of deafness, he turned to the arts.  Dorigny's engravings often focused on historical, mythological, and religious subjects, and he was skilled at translating the intricate details of paintings into the medium of engraving.  His engravings of Raphael's frescoes, in the Vatican and in the Villa Farnesina, are considered to his finest works.  Our collection includes six magnificent frescoes from the Villa Farnesina suite.