Two Girls Accompanied by Cupid Gm-00016801

Nicolas Poussin (French, 1594–1665) A putto and an attendant may be leading a bride--the woman on the left--to her groom while Cupid urges her on, but the subject is not perfectly clear. The drawing might merely represent any classical human marriage scene, or it might represent a more specific mythological theme such as the marriage of Bacchus and Ariadne.

Nicolas Poussin used more ink and wash to make drawings than any other medium, combining graceful, fluid lines with a sensitive, judicious use of wash. Here he created beautifully rippling costumes that gently move along with the young women yet also have a modest life of their own. Characteristically, he chose to leave the women's features abstract.