'Cupid Leaving Psyche' wood block

This block is one of a series of hand-cut wood blocks used to create prints that would illustrate 'The Story of Cupid and Psyche' for the projected edition of 'The Earthly Paradise' begun in September 1865. The illustrations were engraved on wood by Morris and his friends and associates in the Firm. Burne-Jones did illustrations for some of the other tales in 'The Earthly Paradise', but the Cupid and Psyche wood engravings were the most completed part of the project. The project was eventually abandoned in 1868 after trial pages, set in Basle and Caslon types at the Chiswick Press, did not prove satisfactory. This block was probably a trial attempt and not used.

In 1881, a few copies of these sets of illustrations were made, apparently by Morris himself. A second series numbering about 8 sets were made for Morris by Emery Walker in the 1890s. One of these sets was given to Sydney Cockerell by Jane Morris in around 1898 and is bound into a single volume now in the William Morris Gallery collection. Other sets are in the Morgan Library & Museum, New York and the Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge.