Giulio Romano, Sala di Amore e Psiche

From the perspective of textual analysis, the inclusion of this male figure is baffling because there is no other named figure in this chapter of Metamorphoses. We can presume that this is the god Neptune, first signaled by the inclusion of the trident in his right hand and the vase of water hoisted in his left. I confidently deduct that this is Neptune and not his Greek counterpart Poseidon, however, because only Neptune has the added nomer of the god of horses, which also frame him to his left and right.Analyzing why Giulio Romano might have included him actually proves to be a much more speculative and difficult venture. Neptune's expression is stern, while his horses are upset and frenzied. I surmise that this is meant to represent the dichotomy of the sternness with which divine message was sent to sacrifice Psyche, while the commonfolk and mortals otherwise greieved and were saddened by Psyche's sentence. This somber tone is captured by Psyche's rhetorical question: "why drown in vain tears those faces which I love?"

Another liberty taken by Romano is the terrain of the painting. In Ovid's Metamorphoses, Psyche is whisked away from a "steep mountain crag...to the valley below, where [Zephyrus] laid her tenderly on a bed of flowering turf." However here, Psyche is not pictured in any sort of earthly context, but rather is serrounded by lush clouds and sky. I presume that this choice was made because Romano wanted to capture a precise moment wherein Psyche is physically whisked away from the mountain but hasn't yet reached Cupid's valley. A moment neglected by Ovid that captures the freanzy of the journey itself rather than the origin and the destination. The clouds most likely appear dark and stormy to capture the tone of sacrifice, betrayal, and agony that the scene as a whole is made to represent.

The depiction of Psyche's expression warrants a more nuanced conversation than whether Romano did or did not adhere to the framewrok of the text. In Metamorphoses, Ovid details Psyche in the moment of sacrifice as "frightened, trembling, and in tears." Clearly, this depiction does not capture any of that raw emotion or fear, as Psyche appears more bewildered; enraptured with her situation rather than innately frightened of it. However, immediately before the actual moment of sacrifice, Ovid details Psyche as "quiet" and "steadfast," seemingly having accepted her fate, proclaiming that "I go swiftly towards this fortunate marriage." It seems that Romano here has attempted to capture Psyche's feelings and steeled nerves towards the situation as a whole, rather than her agony as described in the moment.

One element of this octagonal painting from the Sala di Amore e Psiche that remains quite true to its description in Ovid's Metamorphoses is the inlusion and depiction of Zephyrus, the god of the west wind. While his mention is brief, it details how Psyche "was lifted by a gentle breeze [from] a softly whispering Zephyr." In Romano's interpretation, Zephyrus purses his lips as in a whisper, stirring up the clouds and wind that are lifting Psyche up. Some small deviations are his closed eyes and furrowed brow, which seem to apply a little more force than the whisper described by Ovid. Also his crown of flowers, which may allude to his inclusion alongside Flora, goddess of the Spring in Botticelli's Primavera and Birth of Venus. It may also allude to the field of flowers that Psyche is dropped after the depcited moment where she is whisked off the mountain top.

One of the most easily defensble artistic choice by Romano here is the billowing of Psyche's robes. In Metamorphoses, the gentle wind created by Zephyrus is "stirring [Psyche's] dress around her and causing it to billow." In the composition we can see Psyche's robes aptly in disarray, not only having to clutch it between her legs, crossing in front of her body, but billowing behind her in what feels like a fully enrapturing moment. Truthfully, not much meaning can be deduced from Romano's coherence with the text here, but pretty bluntly the stirred robes feel essential to the scene itself, so it makaes sense that there wouldn't be much room for adaptation or interpretation.

Giulio Romano's cieling panel of the Sala di Amore e Psiche is a curious one, because vast liberties and strict adherence to Ovid's Metamorphoses seem to coexist rather naturally. While elements like the rustling of Psyche's robes and the blowing of wind from Zephyrus remain almost unchanged from the text, the inclusion of Neptune and frightened mares on the bottom half of the composition are entirely inventd by Romano.Between it all, I presume that the choices made by Romano are such that the piece is made to supplement the original text with an unseen moment, rather than depcting it faithfully. While Metamorphoses seems to skip directly from Psyche's perch atop the mountain to her departure in the field of flowers, this work seems to inhabit the moment of takeoff between the two. Neptune represents the suspected "divine hostility" by Psyche's parents, overseeing her matrimonial sacrifice. Perhaps his presence is necessary to highlight a brazen disdain for beauty that Psyche's tale represents. As a student of Raphael and the high Renaissance, it would make sense if Romano had a certain veneration of beauty and beautiful flesh. Neptune is not angered by Psyche, but rather at the whole circumstance of her sacrficed where she is punished for her beauty and uniqueness by a shallowly begrieved mass, emblemized by the agonized steeds.