William Bouguereau’s L’Amour et Psyché will be the crown jewel of Sotheby’s upcoming auction.

Set to be part of the 19th Century European Art sale in New York on April 23, this recently discovered work by the French Academic painter is from a Distinguished Private Collection. It’s been off the market for almost fifty years and was last seen at the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1900, one year after its completion.

Bouguereau, who draws his inspiration from well-known figures in Greek mythology, depicts part of the story of Cupid and Psyché. Psyché was a mortal woman of stunning beauty who made Venus (the goddess of love) insanely jealous. Having told her son Cupid to make Psyché fall in love with a monster, Cupid instead was overcome by her beauty and struck himself instead. After a series of trials the two were wed and Psyché was transformed into a goddess.

This particular piece portrays the “ravishing” of Psyché, when Cupid takes her to his lair. Cupid is seen literally moving her through the air, away from the trials and tribulations of life and towards the heavens. His role as protector is conveyed by his lean physical strength and outstretched wings, while Psyché ascension is showed by her butterfly wings. In Greek her name means “soul” or “butterfly.” Psyché is known for representing the human spirit’s ability to arise from darkness.

Bouguereau’s characters larger than life appearance is a powerful visual that is made even more stunning by their suspended-in-air demeanor. This story was very appealing to the turn-of-the century crowd, and this lovely artwork can be yours for $1.8-2.2 million.

[Sotheby's]