No fewer than three versions of Education of Cupid by Correggio are known to have existed, yet none can be traced with certainty to the artist’s hand. The most famous was once in the collection of Charles I of England, where it was admired as a treasure of the Mantuan court, only to vanish after the king’s execution. The painting’s elusive history has fueled centuries of debate, with each rediscovered copy or variant sparking new arguments over attribution.

Even today, scholars pore over inventories and letters, hoping to match a surviving canvas to the lost original. The scene captures Venus, goddess of love, gently instructing her young son Cupid in the mysteries of desire. At this intimate moment, Venus guides Cupid’s hand as he learns to read from a scroll—an allegory of love’s lessons, both innocent and dangerous. The soft, golden light caresses their intertwined forms, while the putti in the background echo the playful mood.

The sensuality of Venus’s bare skin, rendered with a delicate sfumato, recalls Leonardo da Vinci’s approach in The Virgin and Child with St. Anne, yet Correggio’s figures are more openly tender, their glances alive with warmth. The painting’s gentle atmosphere and flowing drapery mark it as a product of the High Renaissance, but with a distinctive softness that would influence later artists. The true fate of Correggio’s original remains uncertain.

Some believe it was lost during the upheavals following the English Civil War, while others suggest it survives under another name or in a private collection. Copies and variants, once attributed to Correggio himself, now reside in museums across Europe, their authorship still debated. Regardless of its precise origins, the composition’s fame spread rapidly, shaping the iconography of Venus and Cupid for generations.

Today, Education of Cupid stands as a testament to Correggio’s reputation for sensuality and grace, even if the whereabouts of his own hand remain a mystery.