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Garofalo, 'Two Couples with Cupid', about 1535-45

About the work

Two couples recline outdoors in a mountainous landscape – one lies gazing into each other’s eyes, the other embraces. Cupid kneels on the grass clutching his bow and looks at us. A lizard scuttles down the dark tree trunk and a goat – almost hidden in the shadows – nibbles some foliage.

The painting may illustrate a story from mythology or a literary romance. Garofalo worked at Ferrara, and this ambitious composition of about 1535–45, probably a court commission, reflects the influence of the mythological paintings sent to that city by Titian in the late 1510s and early 1520s, such as Bacchus and Ariadne (now in the National Gallery).

When the National Gallery purchased the picture as part of a larger collection in 1860, the director was concerned about the reception of such an erotic painting in a public collection. He sent it to the National Gallery of Scotland, presumably thinking there was a smaller public in Edinburgh and less likelihood of moral outrage reaching the national press. It remained in Edinburgh until 1932.

Key facts

Full title
Two Couples with Cupid
Artist
Garofalo
Artist dates
about 1481 - 1559
Date made
about 1535-45
Medium and support
oil on canvas
Dimensions
127 × 177.8 cm
Acquisition credit
Bought, 1860
Inventory number
NG1362
Location
Not on display
Collection
Main Collection
Previous owners
Frame
17th-century Italian Frame with Later Additions

About this record

If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.

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A Pagan Sacrifice
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The Agony in the Garden
The Agony in the Garden
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On the night before his crucifixion, Christ went to the Garden of Gethsemane at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. He said his prayers; his disciples Peter, John and James fell asleep. Christ asked God, if possible, to spare him the destiny that awaited him. Eventually Christ accepted...
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The Holy Family with Saints
The Holy Family with Saints
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The infant Christ is shown greeting his cousin, John the Baptist, who comes bearing a goldfinch, an emblem of Christ’s suffering and death. Saint Joseph is seen behind the Virgin Mary to the right; Zacharias is behind his wife Saint Elizabeth to the left, where another saint, perhaps Francis, als...
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The Virgin and Child enthroned with Saints
The Virgin and Child enthroned with Saints
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This painting served as the high altarpiece of the Franciscan church of S. Guglielmo in Ferrara. It was commissioned by the sisters of the convent, who were followers of Saint Clare of Assisi. Known as Poor Clares, they were the female branch of the Franciscan Order.The infant Christ sits on his...
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The Virgin and Child enthroned with Saints
The Virgin and Child enthroned with Saints
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This early work by Garofalo probably dates from about 1499–1502 when he was in Ferrara. Saint Dominic, the founder of the Dominican Order, is identified by the lily and the miraculous star on his chest. Saint Catherine of Siena is also a Dominican saint; her hands, feet and side are marked with C...
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Vision of Saint Augustine
Vision of Saint Augustine
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Saint Augustine (about 354–430) was an early Christian theologian whose writings, which included De Trinitate (About the Trinity), profoundly influenced Western Christianity and philosophy. This painting represents his vision in which he saw a child trying to empty the sea into a hole dug in the...
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