Proserpine

Hiram Powers, Proserpine, carved after 1873, marble, 23 ⁷⁄₈ x 21 x 12 in. (60.6 x 53.3 x 30.5 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase in memory of Ralph Cross Johnson, 1968.155.68

Free to use

Artwork Details

Title: Proserpine
Artist: Hiram Powers
Date: carved after 1873
Location: Not on view
Dimensions: 23 ⁷⁄₈ x 21 x 12 in. (60.6 x 53.3 x 30.5 cm)
Credit Line: Museum purchase in memory of Ralph Cross Johnson
Mediums: marble
Mediums Description: marble
Classifications: Sculpture
Subjects: Study — sculpture model
Mythology — classical — Proserpine
Object Number: 1968.155.68
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1968.155.68

Artwork Description

Proserpine (or Persephone) is a character from Greek mythology who was forced to spend part of every year in the underworld. Her absence from the earth was believed to cause winter, while her return brought spring. Hiram Powers modeled the original bust of Proserpine to include an elaborate woven basket filled with flowers. This proved too time-consuming and expensive to carve, however, and it was changed to a simple arrangement of acanthus leaves. Proserpine was replicated more than any other work produced by an American sculptor during the nineteenth century, and Powers’s studio carved more than three hundred copies.