One of a number of classical subjects Greuze exhibited at the 1769 Salon, which demonstrate his growing ambition to become a history rather than a genre painter. Greuze researched his subject carefully: the statue of Cupid derives from an engraving in P.-J. Mariette’s 'Traité des pierres gravées' of 1750, and the architecture, altar and ewer indicate an attentive study of Grecian motifs then in fashion. The ambitious canvas was, however, criticised at the Salon for its spatial inconsistencies and clumsy figures. The picture was nevertheless acquired by the duc de Choiseul who hung it in his peacock-blue bedroom.