The Education of Cupid c. 1855

Narcisse-Virgilio Diaz painted 'The Education of Cupid' in France, sometime in the mid-19th century. It shows Venus, the goddess of love, instructing her son Cupid in the arts of attraction and desire. Paintings like this draw on classical mythology, and were incredibly popular with the elite classes of Europe. They reflect a fascination with ancient Greece and Rome, but also, crucially, they served to reinforce social norms around gender roles. Cupid’s education, in this sense, is not just a mythological scene, but a commentary on the perceived roles of men and women in society. Venus, as the teacher, embodies a certain kind of feminine power, while Cupid's role as a student hints at the active pursuit of love as a masculine trait. As art historians, we can dig into the visual culture of 19th-century France, examining literature, fashion, and other art forms to better understand how Diaz’s painting fits into a broader conversation about gender, power, and desire in that era.