A total of 32 Cupid figurines have been found from sites throughout Britain. Cupid, the god of love, is always depicted nude (except for example 230 from Edinburgh which wears a tunic), often with a chubby face, and his hair in ringlets around the back of the head and perhaps tied in a top knot. Cupid appears in several different poses, one of the most common being that of flight in which his right arm is raised, one leg is behind the other and he looks upwards (224, 257, 267, 570 and 697), although in some examples, while the arm is raised, the legs are closer together and do not indicate flight (74). In other figures the pose is more passive, and he stands with his arms at his sides. All of these figures are identified as Cupid owing to the presence of his wings. However, another attribute with which he is associated is the dove. There are several examples of Cupid standing holding a dove (311 and 751) as well as seated figure 68 from Lexden tumulus, Colchester, and Cupid 66 from London has him standing with a dove to his right and a dog to his left. An unusual example from Warsop, Notts, depicts Cupid standing holding a large circular dish to the front (1026). Finally, a curious figure of a small nude male riding a horse comes from Petersfield, Hampshire (579). Cupid is sometimes depicted riding a panther (e.g. Rolland 1965, 74 no. 119) but there does not appear to be another example of him on a horse.
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