Pluto and Proserpina -- Ryan Flynn

Located in the Borghese Museum, the “Pluto and Proserpina” piece is a white marble statue designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. It portrays the mythological story of Pluto rising from the Underworld to steal Proserpina. Pluto was lonely and desired a wife, so Jupiter promised him Ceres’s daughter. Proserpina was in a field picking flowers when Pluto arrived and snatched her away, which is the climax of the story that Bernini chose to depict. Ceres and Pluto later agreed to split custody of Proserpina: Ceres would get Proserpina in the spring, and Pluto would have her in the Underworld during winter. The overall story attempts to explain the concept of seasons changing.