On reaching the second landing of the main staircase, a statue of Cupid and Venus may be found in a sculpture niche. Its distinctive feature is that the little Cupid does not shoot arrows, but ‘urinates’.
Béla Ágoston, Bory’s grandson, recounted that as a child it was once his task to open a small valve at the right moment so that the ‘heavenly blessing’ might trickle down. Today everything is operated by a modern photoelectric system, but the effect is as surprising as it was then. Anyone upon whom Little Cupid urinates may expect abundant blessings of children.
The composition is known in several versions. The ‘urinating Little Cupid’ version may be seen at Bory-vár in the niche created beside the staircase leading from the Artists’ Gallery to the Elephant Courtyard. Further examples in bronze and plaster are found in the dining room and studio of the house museum.
Venus and Little Cupid is a fine example of Bory Jenő’s creative outlook, in which classical mythological subjects do not appear in academic form, but are enriched with personal ideas, humour and solutions adapted to the unique world of the castle.