Once hidden behind a curtain, Caravaggio's Cupid goes on free display at the Wallace Collection

"A painting so outrageous, or maybe so outstanding, that it had to be hidden behind a curtain has gone on display in London, without a curtain. This is Amor Vincit Omnia, far better known as Caravaggio's Cupid, and when it was painted in 1601-02, it was a radically shocking painting. Not just for the male nudity, which was commonplace on statues, but rarer in paintings."

"Bought by the rich art collector and Caravaggio enthusiast, Marchese Vincenzo Giustiniani, it remained in the family until it was sold in 1812, and again in 1815 to Frederick William III of Prussia, who bought it for the Berlin Museums. It's been in Berlin ever since, and this is the first time it has left the Gemäldegalerie in 40 years, since it was on display in New York some 40 years ago."

"The Caravaggio painting was said to have been covered by a curtain, which, depending on the report, was either to shield it from easily offended eyes, or because it was so good that it outshone the rest of the collection. Here, at the Wallace Collection, there is a pulled-back curtain on the door, but they've given over an entire room to this painting."

Amor Vincit Omnia (Cupid) by Caravaggio, painted 1601–02, presents a lifelike nude boy that shocked contemporaries by departing from idealized mythological imagery. The painting was acquired by Marchese Vincenzo Giustiniani and remained with his family until sales in 1812 and 1815, when Frederick William III purchased it for Berlin Museums. The work has stayed in Berlin's Gemäldegalerie and has not left in 40 years until this London display. The exhibition recreates Roman Paragone debates by evoking a Palazzo Giustiniani sculpture gallery and places the painting in its own room alongside two related sculptures, including a possible inspiration torso.

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