Cupid and Psyche

The Rokeby Venus is one of Diego Velázquez’ most infamous paintings, not only because it is his only surviving nude, but also because the motif was officially discouraged by the Spanish Inquisition. Three other nudes by the artist are however recorded in 17th-century Spanish inventories, but with no surviving visual representation. Velázquez painted two nudes for the Hall of Mirrors in Madrid’s Royal Alcázar Palace, namely 'Cupid and Psyche and 'Venus and Adonis', but both were lost in the Royal Alcázar Fire on 24th December 1734. By combining textual research and DALL·E 2, we present the world’s first AI resurrection of Velázquez’ ‘Cupid and Psyche’, nearly 300 years after its destruction.