A winged child with golden curls rides astride a powerful dolphin, dominating the center of the composition against a backdrop of rolling clouds and churning sea. The child, identified as Cupid, clutches a red rein in his left hand, which is looped through the gaping mouth of the dolphin, while his right hand raises a slender bow, poised as if ready to draw an arrow. Cupid’s quiver, filled with white-feathered arrows, is strapped to his back with a red ribbon that echoes the color of the rein, and his plump, rosy cheeks and intent gaze give him a sense of lively determination.

The dolphin’s head emerges from the foamy water with bulging eyes and a slightly open mouth, its body twisting beneath Cupid’s weight, while the tail flicks up at the right edge of the canvas. The sea is rendered with energetic, swirling brushstrokes of blue, white, and grey, creating a sense of movement and depth, while the sky above is filled with soft, billowing clouds that frame the figures in a luminous haze. Light falls from the upper left, catching the smooth skin of Cupid’s body and the glossy surface of the dolphin, highlighting their forms against the darker water and sky.

The color scheme is dominated by cool blues and greys, punctuated by the warm flesh tones of Cupid and the vibrant red of his ribbon and rein. Close inspection reveals soft, blended brushwork in the modeling of Cupid’s limbs and face, while the dolphin’s scales and the froth of the sea are built up with more textured, expressive strokes. The composition is tightly focused, with Cupid and the dolphin filling almost the entire square format, creating an intimate and dynamic encounter between myth and nature. The subject is mythological, depicting Cupid, the Roman god of love, in a playful yet commanding pose atop a dolphin.