Christen Købke (b. Copenhagen 1810, d. s.p. 1848)
Cupid in the underworld. Cupid controls Cerberus with his bow and the fire bident of Pluto. After a relief by the Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen. Unsigned. Inscribed in pencil “1845”. Verso inscribed in pencil “C. Købke” and “96d”. Pencil on paper. Sheet size 17.5×20.5 cm.
In 1828, Thorvaldsen made a series of four plaster reliefs entitled “Cupid's Reign Over the Four Elements”, which consists of “Cupid in the Sky”, “Cupid on the Earth”, “Cupid at Sea” and the one which the present drawing was made after: “Cupid in the Underworld ”. (Thorvaldsens Museum inv. no. A381-A384 (plaster) and inv. no. A377-A380 (marble).
Here, Cupid controls the guardian of the underworld, the three-headed dog Cerberus, with his bow, which he has placed around the dog's three heads as a leash, and in his other hand, he holds the fire bident of Pluto, the god of the underworld.
Provenance: The artist's son Peter Købke (1841–1923), his estate auction Winkel og Magnussen 6, 1923 no. 96d. Bruun Rasmussen auction 463, 1984 no. 456 (here sold with the provenance of a Danish private collection with various drawings, watercolours and etchings by Danish artists from the Danish Golden Age and the last half of the 19th century).
Please note: The item is subject to the Anti-Money Laundering Act. In the event of a hammer price of DKK 50,000 or more, including buyer’s premium, the buyer must submit a copy of a valid photo ID and proof of address in order to collect the item.
Paintings and drawings, 21 September 2021