Gaston La Touche (French, 1854-1913)

"Homage to Cupid is a large decorative canvas in which both men and women pay their respects to the god of love. Beyond the two large pillars which frame the composition, exploding fireworks light up the sky to celebrate his arrival. To the left, three elegant women curtsey to him, while to the right, a group of men offer him gifts from a gold plate. They are a disparate group and include a satyr and a turbaned figure, holding aloft a sabre, as a promise of protection to the god. Another figure empties rose petals from a large vessel and carpets the floor at Cupid’s feet." - Selina Baring Maclennan, Gaston La Touche: A Painter of Belle Époque Dreams, Woodbridge, 2009, p. 66-67.