Schreeuwend kind, gestoken door een bij

attributed to Hendrick de Keyser (I), c. 1615 - c. 1620

This sculpture probably depicts Cupid, the god of love, who was stung by a bee after stealing some honey. The incident is described in a poem attributed to the Greek poet Theocritus, who lived in the 3rd century BC. The Amsterdam city sculptor Hendrik de Keyser here drew on the poem to portray an extreme facial expression.

  • Artwork typebust
  • Object numberBK-2007-24
  • Dimensionsthickness 11 cm (total), height 16.5 cm x width 13 cm x depth 9.2 cm (head), diameter 25.4 cm x thickness 2.7 cm (tondo)
  • Physical characteristicsboxwood (head), walnut (lower edge neck termination); ebonized pinewood (support with frame) and brass hanging ring