The Rape of Proserpina

The Rape of Proserpina
ArtistGian Lorenzo Bernini
Year1621–22 (1621–22)
Catalogue10
TypeSculpture
MediumCarrara marble
Dimensions225 cm (89 in)
LocationGalleria Borghese, Rome
Coordinates41°54′50.4″N 12°29′31.2″E / 41.914000°N 12.492000°E / 41.914000; 12.492000
Preceded byNeptune and Triton
Followed bySleeping Hermaphroditus

The Rape of Proserpina (Italian: Ratto di Proserpina), more accurately translated as The Abduction of Proserpina,[1] is a large Baroque marble group sculpture by Italian artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini, executed between 1621 and 1622, when Bernini's career was in its early stage. The group, finished when Bernini was just 23 years old, depicts the abduction of Proserpina, who is seized and taken to the underworld by the god Pluto.[2][3] It features Pluto holding Proserpina aloft, and a Cerberus to symbolize the border into the underworld that Pluto carries Proserpina into.[4]

Cardinal Scipione Borghese commissioned the sculpture and gave it to the newly appointed Cardinal-nephew, Ludovico Ludovisi, possibly as a means of gaining favour. The choice to depict the myth of Proserpina may relate to the recent death of Pope Paul V, or to the recent empowerment of Ludovico.[5][6] Bernini drew inspiration from Giambologna and Annibale Carracci for the sculpture, which is the only work for which preparatory material survives. The Rape of Proserpina is made of rare Carrara marble, and was originally placed on a pedestal, since-destroyed, with a poem by Maffeo Barberini. It has been praised for its realism, as the marble mimics other materials like flesh. The detail is notable; for instance, a trickle of tears contributes to the expressiveness of Proserpina's face.[7]

  1. ^ Jones, Brandon (2019). "The Poetics of Legalism: Ovid and Claudian on the Rape of Proserpina". Arethusa. 52 (1): 71. doi:10.1353/are.2019.0002. S2CID 202374163.
  2. ^ Avery 1997, p. 49
  3. ^ Wittkower 1955, p. 235.
  4. ^ Hibbard 1990, p. 45.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference :7 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Dickerson 2012, p. 22.