Apulian red-figure oinochoe

According to one Greek myth, Eros was one of the first gods born at the beginning of time. Considered the most beautiful of gods, Hesiod suggests he was present at the birth of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and became her constant companion. Other sources say that he was the son of Aphrodite. Some myths suggest he influenced all, both gods and men, and it is said that he had the power to overcome reason and the careful plans of divine and mortal alike.

Here Eros, the god of sexual love, offers a mirror and a wreath to a woman seated on a rock. On her other side, she is approached by a woman carrying a fan and a basket that signify future marriage. Eros is often pictured with a bow and arrows. The Romans knew him as Cupid and in later periods he appears on sarcophagi as a symbol of life after death.