The Flight of Cupid

Charles S. Ricketts created this print for his edition of ancient Roman philosopher Lucius Apuleius’s De Cupidinis et Psyches amoribus (Of the Love of Cupid and Psyche). He focused on the moment when the god of love, Cupid, spreads his wings to abandon his mortal lover Psyche. The dramatic imagery is characteristic of the kinds of illustrations Ricketts composed for books produced by his private publishing firm, the Vale Press, which he established to address what he saw as the declining quality of mass-produced publications. Like William Morris, Ricketts was involved in all aspects of his books: he designed the bindings, illustrations, borders, initials, and even the typefaces used by his press.