Home›Sacred Objects, Dress & Symbols›Sacred Art & Iconography›The Rape of Proserpina (Bernini, Galleria Borghese, CCLXVIII)Sacred Art & IconographyThe Rape of Proserpina (Bernini, Galleria Borghese, CCLXVIII)White marble, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, 1621 to 1622Citation FormatsGeneral ReferenceGeneral Reference Citation TextDivinity Atlas. "The Rape of Proserpina (Bernini, Galleria Borghese, CCLXVIII)." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://divinity.interactivelion.com/sacred-art-iconography/the-rape-of-proserpina-bernini-galleria-borghese.Copy General ReferenceAPA StyleAPA Style Citation TextDivinity Atlas. (n.d.). The Rape of Proserpina (Bernini, Galleria Borghese, CCLXVIII). Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://divinity.interactivelion.com/sacred-art-iconography/the-rape-of-proserpina-bernini-galleria-borgheseCopy APA StyleBibTeXBibTeX Citation Text@misc{divinityatlas-the-rape-of-proserpina-bernini-galleria, author = {Divinity Atlas}, title = {The Rape of Proserpina (Bernini, Galleria Borghese, CCLXVIII)}, year = {2026}, url = {https://divinity.interactivelion.com/sacred-art-iconography/the-rape-of-proserpina-bernini-galleria-borghese}, note = {Accessed August 30, 2026} }Copy BibTeXScriptural and Theological TraditionVerifiedA white marble sculptural group by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, carved 1621 to 1622 when the artist was twenty three, held by the Galleria Borghese in Rome under inventory CCLXVIII. The work shows Pluto, god of the underworld, seizing Proserpina and holding her aloft as she strains away from him, her hand pressed against his face; a three headed Cerberus crouches at the base, marking the threshold between the world above and the underworld. Bernini carves Pluto's fingers pressing into Proserpina's thigh with a softness unusual for marble, one of the sculpture's most admired technical passages. It stands in the Galleria Borghese's Room of the Emperors.Cross-Tradition ConnectionsSourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)Cross-Tradition ConnectionsAssociated WithProserpina, Deities Well-attested This source names Proserpina directly: "The work shows Pluto, god of the underworld, seizing Proserpina and holding her aloft as she strains away from him, her hand pressed against his face; a three headed Cerberus crouches at the base..."Source The Rape of Proserpina, Category Record (Wikimedia Commons, Galleria Borghese CCLXVIII)tier 2DepictsPluto, Deities Well-attested The sculpture's central figure, mid-abduction, in Roman mythology's own account of Pluto's most famous act, on display at the Galleria Borghese, Rome.Source The Rape of Proserpina, Category Record (Wikimedia Commons, Galleria Borghese CCLXVIII)tier 2Additional Source The Rape of Proserpina (Wikipedia)tier 3SourcesThe Rape of Proserpina, Category Record (Wikimedia Commons, Galleria Borghese CCLXVIII)tier 2Wikimedia CommonsView the SourceThe Rape of Proserpina (Wikipedia)tier 3WikipediaDepicts: PlutoQuote, Depicts: PlutoPluto holding Proserpina aloft, and a Cerberus to symbolize the border into the underworld.View the SourceComments (0)No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.Sign in to join the discussion.Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.View At A Past YearThe atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.Show This Year