On-line gallery
- Reference number
- P01659
- Author
- Rubens, Peter Paul (Flemish)
- Title
- The Rape of Proserpina
- Chronology
- 1636-1638
- Technique
- Support
- Measures
- 180 cm x 270 cm
- School
- Theme
- Shown
- Yes
- Entrance
- COLECCIONREAL
- Procedence
- Royal Collection
Pluto, god of the underworld,
kidnaps Proserpina, the daughter of
the goddess of the Earth, Ceres. In
a moment of madness, he pulls her
up into his chariot while Venus,
Diana and Minerva vainly try to
stop him. The two cupids pulling
the chariot announce Pluto's
success. In light of Ceres' anger,
Jupiter concedes the kidnapped
woman the right to spend a part of
the year with her mother, which is
when the Earth is happy and
produces her fruits.
This scene is based on the Greek
myth told in Ovid's Metamorphosis
(book V), which explains the
seasons.
In this painting for the Torre de
la Parada, Rubens chose a
composition of great narrative and
visual violence in which the god's
expression imposes a lateral rhythm
on the figures' movements,
symbolizing his rapid flight. As in
many of Rubens' works for this
small palace near Madrid, the
composition is based on ancient
sculpture, specifically, certain
Roman sarcophagi that depict the
same event.
This work entered the Prado Museum
in 1837.
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