Cupid spurning riches 

Guercino painted 'Cupid spurning riches' during a period of immense social change, where the traditional structures of power were being challenged by the rise of merchant classes and new forms of wealth. Here, Cupid stands, wings spread, gazing downward, a pouch of gold coins slipping through his fingers, discarded. His bow and arrow lie at his feet; the globe to his left suggests a world left behind in favor of, what? Is Guercino asking us to consider the true value of love versus material wealth? Or perhaps highlighting the tension between earthly and spiritual desires, a common theme in Counter-Reformation art. The tenderness with which Guercino renders the fleshy body of the child Cupid invites us to contemplate not only the overt moral lesson, but also the more intimate, human aspects of desire and choice. Is Cupid rejecting riches, or is he simply indifferent to them, his gaze already set on another, unseen object of affection? It's a question that lingers, prompting us to consider our own values and priorities in a world increasingly defined by economic forces.