Victorious Cupid, on special loan from the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin and never-before seen in public in the UK, is the centrepiece of this exhibition. It is presented with two ancient Roman sculptures that, more than four hundred years ago, belonged to the same distinguished collection.

All three works belonged to Marchese Vincenzo Giustiniani (1564–1637), one of the most celebrated collectors of his day. In his grand palazzo near the Pantheon in Rome, Caravaggio’s Cupid was displayed with other works by Raphael, Titian and Giorgione, as well as an extensive gallery of classical sculpture. Life-size and painted from nature, Cupid stands with wings spread, arrows in hand and with a playful smile, surrounded by the fallen symbols of human achievement.

This free exhibition invites visitors to enter the world of 17th-century Rome, where artists, scholars and collectors debated the merits of painting and sculpture. The exhibition recreates the spirit of Giustiniani’s palace, bringing together ancient sculpture and Caravaggio’s startling vision in the way his guests would once have experienced it.