Proserpine
Artist
Hiram Powers
(American, 1805-1873)
CultureAmerican
Datemodeled 1844
MediumMarble
DimensionsOverall: 21 x 14 7/8 x 9 in. (53.3 x 37.8 x 22.9 cm)
Credit LineGift of James H. Ricau and Museum purchase
Object number86.505
Not on view
DescriptionMarble sculpture bust of Proserpine, a woman with both breasts exposed.Label TextHiram Powers American (1805-1873) Proserpine, modeled 1844 Marble Gift of James H. Ricau and Museum purchase 86.505 In ancient Roman mythology, the goddess Proserpine was the beautiful daughter of Jupiter and Ceres. She was carried off to the underworld by Pluto, who wed her and made her rule alongside him in Hades. Proserpine could return to the upper earth for only a part of each year, her return visit marking the advent of spring. Powers depicts Proserpine with a crown of wheat in her hair. This refers to her mother Ceres, who was the goddess of agriculture. The acanthus leaves that ring her shoulders soften the truncation of the sculpture's chest and arms and symbolize her immortality-her ability to escape the kingdom of death each year and return to the land of the living. Powers produced his first bust of Proserpine in 1839. Tinged with melancholy, his gently poetic evocation of the goddess proved immensely popular, and over the next three decades, he oversaw the production of more than 150 replicas. Exhibition History"The Ricau Collection," The Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, Va., February 26 - April 23, 1989. "Behind the Seen: The Chrysler's Hidden Museum," Large Changing Gallery, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va., October 21, 2005 - February 19, 2006. "Reopening of the Joan P. Brock Galleries," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va., Opening in March of 2008. "Classical Traditions at the Moses Myers House," Moses Myers House, Norfolk, VA, April 17 - December 1, 2013.Published ReferencesH. Nichols B. Clark, _A Marble Quarry: The James H. Ricau Collection of Sculpture at The Chrysler Museum of Art_ (New York: Hudson Hills Press, Inc., 1997).
