Les amours de Psyché et de Cupidon (The Loves of Psyche and Cupid) is La Fontaine’s retelling of the story of Cupid and Psyche, based on the second-century Metamorphoses or The Golden Ass of Lucius Apuleius Madaurensis. The tale concerns the overcoming of obstacles to the love between Psyche (‘soul’ or ‘breath of life’) and Cupid (‘love’ or ‘desire’), and their ultimate union in a sacred marriage. From the rediscovery of Apuleius’s works during the Renaissance, the story has been retold many times in poetry, drama, opera, painting and sculpture. Jean de La Fontaine’s (1621–95) poetic version, Les amours de Psyché et de Cupidon, was first printed in 1669, and was much used in later adaptations of the story.

Éditions de la Vieille France commissioned Lemagny to produce illustrations for this and for two other volumes of La Fontaine’s stories, three further La Fontaine collections in the same set being illustrated by Lucien Boucher and a volume of Thémidore by Raoul Serres (better known for his more erotic work as Schem). The whole set of seven books was produced in a limited numbered edition of 964 copies. Psyché et de Cupidon is the only volume of the series where the illustrations can honestly be considered as erotic.