Art-Canova-Cupid and Psyche TB03

Please drop this item in rural OR Premium Member Only caches.  Do not place it in an urban cache or abandon it at a caching event.  Transport the bug in the original plastic bag for as long as the bag lasts; the bag keeps the trackable clean and prevents tangling with other items.  Otherwise, take the travel bug anywhere you wish.  No permission is needed to leave the U.S.

Travel bug photos in the logs are appreciated.  I will re-post them here, where they can be seen by other cachers.

This is one of a series of travel bugs made to recognize art works seen, and admired by the bug owner. A digital copy of this painting was downloaded from the internet. The copy was reduced in size and proportions cropped to accommodate the laminating materials available to the owner. Regrettably these processes diminish the effort of the artist. One truly must see the original in person to fully appreciate the work. The text below is a mixture of my own observations and material gleaned from the internet (mostly Wikipedia and Web Gallery).

Antonio Canova (1757-1822) was an Italian sculptor from the Republic of Venice who became famous for his dramatic marble sculptures that delicately rendered nude flesh.  His works grace the halls of the finest museums of the world.  This sculpture was seen in the Louvre in October of 2012.  It represents the god Cupid in the height of love and tenderness, immediately after awakening the lifeless Psyche with a kiss.  Psyche reaches up towards her lover as he gently holds her.  We saw the most famous art in the Louvre, Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, Venus de Milo and much more, but I lingered longer at this and several other lesser-known works.