Omnia vincit amor — love conquers all, Virgil says it with absolute simplicity, reaching the heart of things. On this Dalmatian ring the theme of strength guided by love finds a renewed vivacity, the story takes on different shadings. The scene tells of balance: Cupid rides the lion at play, the lion welcomes him with trust. There is understanding, a shared intent, power letting itself be led by something subtler.

Iconography has explored this idea in a thousand variations — and in every one the meaning stays the same: to recognise something greater. On this model that reflection meets the most graphic black and white of the collection, and the contrast works: the content is profound, the decoration carries it with verve and substance.

The dappled motif translates strength and lightness into a rhythm in which black and white alternate like the two natures of the relief. The final enamel gives the surface a tactile depth, and the base, with the weight of the bronze it is made of, has a presence felt even on the hand.

In Pale Blue Cupid takes all the air around him — airy, high, the lion beneath him pacing and trusting. Black concentrates the power: deep, still, framed by the gold-plated bronze, which on the Dalmatian ground turns theatrical and dynamic. Pearl dissolves the contrast — everything grows quiet, a suspended light in which strength entrusts itself. Pink is the colour that brings a tenderness softening the scene — Cupid sits on the back of a feline, only the journey, free and easy. The play of colours always unveils something unexpected.