Cambridge dictionary definition:

Cupid-noun

Model or painting of a little boy looking like Cupid

Cupid-noun

The ancient Roman God of love, represented by a naked baby boy who has wings and shoots arrows at people to make them start to love each other

Who is Cupid?

According to Roman mythology, Cupid, meaning passionate desire,  also known as Amor, is the god of desire, erotic love, and affection. He is often portrayed as a baby boy with a bow and arrow. This iconography illustrates his source of power, a person or deity who is shot by Cupids arrow is filled with uncontrollable desire. In Roman culture, Cupid was the child of the goddess Venus, known as the Goddess of love, and son of Mars- the God of war; framing Cupid as a figure of contradiction- a symbolism of conflict and desire. The idea around Cupid is also split between two cultures, Greek and Roman, where in Greek culture he is known as Eros- although Eros is generally portrayed as a slender winged youth in classical Greek art, during the Hellenistic period he was increasingly illustrated as a chubby baby.

In myths, Cupid is considered a minor character in which serves mostly to set the plot in action. The only thing his deity served as a main character was within the tale of Cupid and Psyche, where he is wounded by his own bow and arrow and experiences overwhelming emotions of love and desire. His tradition is rich in poetic themes, such as “Love conquers all” and the retaliatory punishment of Cupid.

Cupid’s representation in philosophy and art

Within art, Cupid appears in multiples as the Amores as the equivalent of the Greek Eros. Becoming a frequent motif of Roman art and later Western art of the classical tradition. In the 15th century, the iconography of Cupid starts to become indistinguishable from the “putto” image (chubby male child).

Throughout this, Cupid continued to be a popular figure of the Middle Ages, even under the Christian influence. In this, he was portrayed with dual nature, as heavenly and earthly love. And in the Renaissance period, a renewed interest in classical philosophy endowed him with complex allegorical meanings, symbolising love, desire, and philosophy. This is often influenced by the rediscovery of classical texts, Neoplatonic philosophy and medieval moralising. Renaissance artists and poets depicted Cupid as an ambivalent figure, representing both the divine, ennobling force of love and the dangerous, irrational and destructive nature of lust.

Renaissance thinkers, specifically under the influence of Marsalis Ficino and the Florentine Academy, interpreted Cupid through the concept of the “two Venuses” (heavenly and Earthly) from Plato’s symposium.  As the son of Venus Coelestis, Cupid represents divine, intellectual love, which inspires the human soul to rise toward the contemplation of Divine beauty (amor divinus). Furthermore, as the son of Venus Vulgaris, Cupid symbolises sensual and corporeal love. This love is seen as a legitimate, although lesser, pathway to understanding beauty through physical attraction- (Amor Vulgaris). The third interpretation of Cupid stands for irrational, animalistic lust (desire to posses) which is considered antisocial and capable of the destruction of the soul by reducing it to ‘beastly’ pleasures (Amor Ferinus).

Moreover, another depiction of Cupid is known as “The Blindfolded Child”, being irrationality and inconstancy, Reflected within Shakespeare’s A Midsummers night dream. The blindness signifies that passion is arbitrary, unreasonable and that it leads to foolish choices- rather than a thoughtful judgement of the beloved; his depiction as a young boy also implies his childish and immature nature of passion, with his wings symbolising the inconstant nature of love, which is likely to change or abandon its object quickly.

Cupid as a demon of fornication

Adapting myths to Christian use, medieval mythographers interpreted Cupid as moral. In this view, Cupid is presented as a demon of fornication. This originated with written work during the reign of Charlemagne, written by Theodulf of Orleans, who reinterpreted Cupid as a seductive but malicious figure who exploits desire to draw people into an allegorical underworld of vice. To Theodulf, Cupid’s bow symbolised deception, his arrows poison, and his torch burning passion. It was also considered appropriate to present Cupid as naked, in order to not conceal his deception and evil. This concept followed his attachments to lust but would later be diluted as Christian’s embraced Cupid as a symbolic representation of love.

Cupid’s arrows

Cupid carries two kinds of arrows, one with a sharp golden point, and the other with a blunt tip of lead.  A person who becomes wounded by the golden arrow, is filled with uncontrollable desire; however, the one struck with the lead feels aversion and desires only to flee. The uses of these arrows are described by the Latin poet Ovid, in the first book of his metamorphoses. When Apollo taunts Cupid as the lesser archer, Cupid shoots him with the golden arrow, but strikes the object of his desire, Daphne, with the lead. This caused Apollo to be trapped with unwanted advances, Daphne prays to her father- the river god Peneus- who turns her into a laurel, the tree sacred to Apollo.  It is the first of several failed love affairs for Apollo.

Depictions

On gems amid other surviving pieces, Cupid is shown usually driving a hoop, throwing darts, catching a butterfly, or flirting with a nymph. He is often seen with his mother (in graphic arts this is always Venus), playing a horn. In other images, his mother is depicted scolding or spanking Cupid due to his mischievous nature. He is also sometimes seen wearing a helmet and carrying a buckler, perhaps referencing political satire on wars for love; or even love as war. Within classical art, Cupid is portrayed as nude, but in more modern depictions he is seen wearing a diaper, sash and wings.