What is Ratto di Proserpina about?
The Rape of Proserpina (Italian: Ratto di Proserpina) is a large Baroque marble sculptural group by Italian artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini, executed between 1621 and 1622. Bernini was only 23 years old at its completion. It depicts the abduction of Proserpina, who is seized and taken to the underworld by the god Pluto.
What is the story of Pluto and Proserpina?
The Story of Pluto and Proserpine One day, as Proserpine picked flowers with her friends, Pluto, the king of the underworld and ruler of the dead, saw her and fell madly in love with her. Riding a chariot pulled by four black horses, Pluto grabbed Proserpine and dragged her down into the underworld with him.
Who stopped the abduction of Proserpina?
Peter Paul Rubens also shows a composite story, in his superb The Rape of Proserpina (1636-38). Pluto’s face looks the part, his eyes bulging and staring at Minerva, who is trying to stop the girl from being abducted.
Who was the patron of Bernini’s sculptures David Apollo and Daphne Pluto and Persephone and Aeneas anchises and ascanius?
Aeneas, Anchises, & Ascanius For Cardinal Scipione Borghese, now in Galleria Borghese, Rome. Working with his father Pietro, a sculptor, Bernini was exposed to opportunities for patronage. Chief among them, and his first major patron, was Cardinal Scipione Borghese.
Is Proserpina the same as Persephone?
Persephone, Latin Proserpina or Proserpine, in Greek religion, daughter of Zeus, the chief god, and Demeter, the goddess of agriculture; she was the wife of Hades, king of the underworld.
Why did Pluto take Proserpina?
Proserpina is the Latin name for the Greek goddess Persephone. Pluto, king of the Underworld, complained to Jupiter that he alone had no wife. Jupiter promised him Proserpina, his daughter by Ceres, the goddess of grain and of harvests, and with the collusion of Venus, Jupiter and Pluto planned the abduction.
Who tried to save Persephone?
In an earlier version, Hecate rescued Persephone. On an Attic red-figured bell krater of c. 440 BC in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Persephone is rising as if up stairs from a cleft in the earth, while Hermes stands aside; Hecate, holding two torches, looks back as she leads her to the enthroned Demeter.
What crime did Persephone commit?
Persephone was raped by her father, Zeus, twice, and bore two kids by him. The name Persephone is thought to mean “destroy” and “murder.” Persephone is the goddess of the spring season.
What was Bernini’s first sculpture?
of Saint Lawrence
Bernini’s first mature sculpture was of Saint Lawrence, completed in 1617. It was described as an “act of pious devotion” to his patron saint and showcased the importance of religion and the theme of devotion, which continued throughout his artistic career.
What happened between Apollo and Persephone?
Unknown to Artemis, the first night Apollo met Persephone, he sexual assault Persephone by going into her room while she slept. Persephone did try to tell Artemis about what Apollo did to her that night, but held back, worried it would hurt their relationship.
What are Persephone’s weaknesses?
Persephone’s weaknesses are that she is easily tempted by something she desires (Evslin). Her beauty is also a weakness, for it attracts the unwanted attention of Hades (Regula).
Does Proserpina fall in love with Pluto?
Hard-paste. According to Roman mythology, the god of love made Pluto fall in love with Proserpine, who went to live in the Underworld until her father Jupiter ordered her to return to her mother Ceres, goddess of agriculture, for six months a year.
What is the purpose of Bernini’s religious sculpture?
Bernini’s first mature sculpture was of Saint Lawrence, completed in 1617. It was described as an “act of pious devotion” to his patron saint and showcased the importance of religion and the theme of devotion, which continued throughout his artistic career.
What was Bernini’s most important architectural project?
His most ambitious project was for St. Peter’s interior. From 1624 to 1633, he designed and oversaw the construction of a massive bronze baldacchino, or canopy, above St. Peter’s tomb.
Who raped Persephone in mythology?
“Now she [Demeter] discovered the corn before she gave birth to her daughter Persephone, but after the birth of her daughter and the rape of her by Plouton [Haides], she burned all the fruit of the corn, both because of her anger at Zeus and because of her grief over her daughter.
Why did Borghese continue his collaboration with Bernini?
Scipione Borghese had been very satisfied with the first group, and had therefore decided to continue his collaboration with Bernini, commissioning a further sculpture of a mythological subject, once again taken from Latin literature.
Who is the sculptor of Pluto and Proserpina?
In 1811, the Russian sculptor Vasily Demut-Malinovsky created a sculpture also titled The Abduction of Proserpina. The statue currently resides in Saint-Petersburg. Jeff Koons ‘s Pluto and Proserpina is an 11-foot-tall stainless steel sculpture with transparent color coating and live flowering plants.
How does Bernini present the rape of Proserpina?
While reminiscent of Mannerism, particularly Giambologna ‘s The Rape of the Sabine Women, Bernini permits the viewer to absorb the scene from one single viewpoint. While other views provide further details, a spectator can see the desperation of Proserpina and the lumbering attempts of Pluto to grab her.