The sculpture was one of four works, created by the then twenty-four year old Bernini for the influential patron of art and artists, Cardinal Scipione Borghese, the nephew of Pope Paul V. And this time the painter looked for inspiration in a mythological story. Making use of Ovid’s Metamorphoses, he showed a scene of flaming love and desire, which the god of the Underworld, Pluto felt for Proserpina – the daughter of the goddess of fertility and agriculture Ceres and the god of all gods, Jupiter. The omnipotent ruler of Olympus, aware of the fact that his daughter cannot be convinced out of her own free will to live in a world of eternal darkness, but also understanding the fate of the god of the Underworld, condemned to loneliness, allowed the girl to be kidnapped, when she oblivious to everything was picking flowers on a meadow. Bernini’s sculpture depicts the moment, when Pluto along with Proserpina have already crossed Styx and found themselves in the depths of the Underworld; they are accompanied by the three-headed Cerberus – the guardian of Hades. The girl is still defending herself, most likely aware of the rape which awaits her, terrified by her fate, but also by the dark and grim world, in which she found herself. In an instinct of disgust and fear she pushes the head of the old man away. However, Pluto flexes all the muscles of his nude body in order to lessen her disdain. And as we can assume, he will succeed and Proserpina will not defeat the determined rapist, who drives his strong fingers into her body. In the meantime on Olympus, Ceres after nine days of fruitless search, hearing the news of her daughter’s kidnapping, in an act of defiance and longing, leaves not only Olympus, but also Earth bringing famine and death. Seeing the suffering of men, Jupiter decides to send his messenger Mercury to Pluto, tasking him with bringing back the girl. As a result a compromise is reached. Proserpina can leave Hades for nine months in a year and then Ceres overjoyed with her arrival gives the planet blooming and abundant harvests, while for the three remaining months she must stay with Pluto in the Underworld, which causes great sadness of the mother, manifesting itself in the barren, winter fields.

As was fit for Bernini, this time he also did not forget to construct his sculpture in such a way, as to give the onlookers an interesting view from every side. It should be seen from every perspective, admiring its exceptionality and finesse with which the artist shaped the marble, as if it was not a hard rock, but plasticine. And while the  figure of Pluto seems to be a static element of the composition, the figure of Proserpina attempting to break free is dynamic and she is the one who draws our attention. When deciding on this type of creation, Bernini probably had wanted to compete with the most famous sculptures of antiquity, a task in which he was cheered on by the patron and a group of friends fascinated with ancient art, but the drama of Proserpina is a lot more exposed here than it had been in any other ancient image.

The motif of kidnapping and rape appeared rather frequently in the art of Baroque. In Rome of that time it was also undertaken by Pietro da Cortona in his painting The Rape of the Sabine Women. And in this case we can say: all is well that ends well – the Romans abducted and raped the Sabine women, thanks to which the great Imperium Romanum was born. Just as in the story of Proserpina – the girl’s happiness was forced upon her for the good of mankind.

The noble company of cardinal Borghese, which in its majority was made up of high-ranking clergy, could not hide its admiration for Bernini’s work, who once again proved his genius, gaining fame as a successor of the divine Michelangelo. However, in the works of this artist, inspired with the world of mythology, which in itself should give rise to concern within the clergy looking on at the nude body parts of the represented figures, it was not simply about competition with the known works of antiquity. Another form of a game, because what else can we call it, was an attempt to interpret the work in the spirit of Christianity. And just as Proserpina returns to the world of the living each year, brining with her crops and an abundant harvest, thus the soul of the deceased should hope for salvation. Well – if that is the case then rape in itself was worth it.

However, for me personally it is a great story of the determination of a mother who fights for her daughter, regardless of the adversity. And while her struggle is not completely lost, her grief and sadness will never be silenced. It should come as no surprise that it was Ceres who found a special place in the hearts of the ancient Romans. Significant temples in her honor were also erected in the Eternal City.

Scipione Borghese did not enjoy his sculpture for a long time. A few months after it was placed in the casino nobile (Galleria Borghese), meaning the place which was specifically constructed for the exhibition of the items gathered by the cardinal, it was moved to the residence of another collector and clergyman – Ludovico Ludovisi. For unknown reasons, of political, or other nature, The Rape of Proserpina, became a gift of one cardinal to another. And who would have thought that such a type of a representation will awaken the great collector’s desires of this respected group?

The Rape of Proserpina, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, 1621–1622, two types of Carrara marble, Ht: 223 cm, Galleria Borghese