RAPE OF PROSERPINA, BAROQUE SCULPTURE BERNINI ROMA

Rape of Proserpina, Baroque sculpture

The Rape of Proserpina is a sculpture by Gian Lorenzo Bernini exposed in the Borghese Gallery in Rome. It was commissioned by Scipione Borghese and executed between 1621 and 1622, when the artist was only 23 years old.

The subject is taken from Ovid's Metamorphoses. Proserpina, daughter of Jupiter and Ceres (goddess of fertility and the harvest), was spotted by Pluto, King of the Underworld, who fell in love with her, abducted her while picking flowers Lake Pergusa near Enna.

The work is a masterpiece of Baroque sculpture.