Visit to the Borghese Gallery to see Proserpina.
Inside one of the most famous art museums in the world stands a statue made of marble that was crafted in 1622 by a 23-year-old polymath named Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The Borghese Gallery is the home to several of Bernini's works, and everyone has a favorite, but perhaps the most mesmerizing is the one I call Proserpina. I will give you the background and a few facts about the sculpture, as well as clear up a few misconceptions.
The sculpture is about 7-1/2 feet high and is sculpted from marble. The museum was named for Cardinal Scipione Borghese, a powerful and rich member of Rome's elite. The nephew of the Pope Paul V, Cardinal Borghese was well connected and had the means and desire to create a world class art gallery.
Pluto and Proserpina
Proserpina
Photo by ArchitectOlder
The Cardinal chose a subject from Roman and Greek mythology to create this masterpiece. Proserpina is the Roman name for Persephone (Greek version), and Pluto is the name for Hades (Greek). The Greek version was first, and the Romans changed the name of the Gods to suit their pantheon.
The story is of a deal between Pluto (God of the Underworld) and Jupiter (King of all Gods). Pluto needed a wife for the Underworld, and since no one was willing, Jupiter agreed to allow him to take his daughter, Proserpina. The sculpture shows the moment that Pluto takes Proserpina past the boundary to the Underworld.
The sculpture is in the Baroque style which depicts action while frozen, with the robes flowing in the wind, and bodies contorted. The viewer must look at the sculpture from every angle to get the full story.
Cerberus is pictured as the three headed hound of Hades. The heads are said to represent Past, Present, and Future.
The most iconic aspect of the sculpture is the right hand of Pluto pressing into the left leg of Proserpina. I took more photographs of this sculpture than I did of any other attraction in Rome.
Simply astounding that it is marble and not flesh.
There are a few misconceptions about the sculpture. Some of Bernini's critics wrote that the position of the anatomy was wrong, as Pluto's back would break in that position. In my opinion, Bernini made the sculpture the way he did to depict or even exaggerate motion. At any rate, no one remembers who the critics were, and anyone that has ever seen the sculpture doesn't care what the critics say.
Lastly, the name is mistranslated as the Rape of Proserpina. It is a mistranslation of Italian. The statue should be known as the Abduction of Proserpina. The Italian word for (rape in English) is stupro. The title should more accurately be written as, Il Ratto di Proserpina, or the Abduction of Proserpina. This has caused major confusion. Today my Italian friend answered a question in Italian as "non male", which means not bad in Italian, so we must be careful with translations. Grok is really helpful with these types of issues.
In closing, if you want to visit the Borghese in Rome, you should go to the website of the Borghese Gallery months in advance in order to get in. The website is
I promise this is not hype; it is a wonderful experience and is completely mesmerizing.