Reading of Love, He being by 1874

Robert Bateman painted this captivating scene, ‘Reading of Love, He being by'. At its heart lies Eros, the winged god of love, his bow and arrow cast aside. In classical antiquity, Eros was a primal god, embodying not just love, but also attraction and desire—forces as old as time itself. Consider how this motif of Cupid evolved through the Renaissance. We see him in Botticelli's 'Primavera' as a mischievous figure flitting about. Here, in Bateman’s piece, he appears contemplative, almost melancholic. Has Eros, once a symbol of vital energy, become burdened by the very emotion he represents? The women surrounding him, one reading, another with a musical instrument, the third gazing blankly, add to the emotional intensity. This image is not merely an illustration but a powerful engagement with our collective memory and subconscious understanding of love. It asks us: has love's primal force been tamed, domesticated, or perhaps, misunderstood in our modern age?