Cupid Disarmed

Watteau's Cupid Disarmed of around 1715 depicts a playful mythological scene — the winged god of love being stripped of his bow and arrows by nymphs — treating the classical subject with the theatrical lightness of his mature fête galante style. The painting belongs to the decorative mythological sub-genre of his work that served aristocratic interior decoration alongside his more famous parkland scenes. Watteau's treatment of the traditional disarming of Cupid brings the same combination of sensuality and melancholy he found in all his subjects, the winged child's vulnerability creating unexpected pathos.

Watteau renders the mythological figures with delicate, shimmering brushwork and a palette of soft pinks, blues, and greens. The informal, intimate treatment of the classical subject demonstrates his revolutionary approach to established mythological themes.