The Psyche is also known as “The surprised Nymph”.

It is a marble sculpture going back to 1886 ca.. Rodin drew inspiration from Donatello and other great bronze sculptors of the Renaissance for works such as The Age of Bronze and St. John the Baptist Preaching. Such works also resemble pieces from the contemporary Neo-Florentines such as Paul Dubois. The Neo-Florentines used supple modelling to portray a sense of life and this resulted in accurate interpretations in bronze. This technique was obvious in Rodin's work throughout the 1880s.

Later on in his career Rodin spent a great deal of time working on alternative techniques which involved assembling existing fragments. This dedication resulted in creative pieces such as The Gates of Hell which was made up of several hundred figures which Rodin went on to use on many different occasions.

In the latter years of Rodin's life his works became more expressionist and some pieces such as Monument to Balzac show the artist moving away from the realism that separated him from academic sculptors.

This sculpture is actually placed at the Museum of Rodin where most of his work can be found.