Cupid

Zoffany's Cupid (c. 1772), now in Stockport, is an unusual mythological work from a painter best known for theatrical portraits and conversation pieces. The subject — the winged god of love, typically depicted as a chubby boy — allowed Zoffany to display his abilities in the classical subject matter that the Royal Academy valued above his genre specialties. As a founding member of the Academy, Zoffany was sensitive to hierarchies of subject matter, and occasional mythological works demonstrated his range. The Stockport holding suggests this work entered a private northern English collection from which it has rarely been studied.

The figure study shows Zoffany's careful handling of flesh — warm, soft, with the particular attention to youthful skin he demonstrated in his child portraits. The wings require a more fantastical approach than his documentary style usually demanded. The composition is simple, the figure isolated against a neutral or sky ground.