One of some forty-five wood engravings designed by Burne-Jones and mostly cut by William Morris illustrating the 'Cupid and Psyche' story for a lavish publication of William Morris''The Earthly Paradise'. Trial proofs at the Chiswick Press, were considered unsuccessful as a union of text and image, and the project was abandoned.A pencil drawing, depicting this scene, on tracing paper ready for transfer to the woodblock is in the collection of the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. There are no preparatory studies for this design in Birmingham's collection. A watercolour of this image was executed in 1865 and is now in the collection of Lord Lloyd-Webber. This design also appeared as the frontispiece to the last book issued by the Kelmscott Press, 'A Note by William Morris on His Aims in Founding the Kelmscott Press with a Short Description of the Press by S.C. Cockerell and an Annotated List of the Books Printed Thereat.'

• Presented by Mrs William Harris, 1913.
• © Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery