Erot with Cerberus 1820

Eugen Eduard Schäffer made this intriguing pencil drawing called 'Erot with Cerberus', now in the Städel Museum. It invites us to consider how classical myths were re-imagined in 19th-century Europe. The image presents a winged Eros, or Cupid, playfully restraining Cerberus, the multi-headed dog guarding the entrance to the Underworld. This re-interpretation of classical themes was popular in Germany during the 1800s as artists looked back to antiquity to create new forms of art. These reworkings often reflected the values of that contemporary society. The German art academies of the time, such as the Düsseldorf Academy where Schäffer studied, promoted classical ideals, viewing art as a vehicle for moral and intellectual upliftment. To understand this drawing fully, we need to research the classical tradition and the 19th-century art world. Such historical context reveals how artists both upheld and subverted established norms. The meaning of any artwork, after all, is contingent on its social and institutional setting.