Proserpine / Hiram Powers

Viewer

Actions

file_download Download image 109 x 167 (JPEG) 218 x 334 (JPEG) 436 x 669 (JPEG) 873 x 1339 (JPEG)

About this Item

Record Details

Accession Number
1991/2.40
Title
Proserpine
Artist
Hiram Powers
Artist Nationality
American
Artist Life Dates
1805 - 1873
Medium and Support
Seravezza marble
Object Creation Place
North and Central America (continent)
United States (nation)
Creation Place 2
United States (nation)
Style/Group/Movement
Neo-classical
Dimensions
60 cm x 47.5 cm x 29 cm (23 5/8 in. x 18 11/16 in. x 11 7/16 in.)
Century
19th century
Primary Object Classification
Sculpture
Primary Object Type
bust
Physical Description
Bust-length white marble sculpture of a young female figure crowned with a plait of wheat and framed along the bottom with a wreath of sculpted acanthus leaves.
Subject Matter
A Neoclassical sculptor, Hiram Powers is best known for his ability to render the soft, life-like quality of flesh in stone, and his insistence on using only the best, nearly flawless marble in his sculptures.
Powers based the subject of this piece on the Roman mythological story of Proserpine (the Roman equivalent of the Greek goddess Persephone), in which the beautiful Proserpine, daughter of the goddess of agriculture, Ceres, was abducted by the god of the underworld, Pluto. She was allowed to return to her grieving mother for six months of the year, thus explaining the cycle of the seasons: during the spring and summer Proserpine was with her mother and the earth bloomed, during the fall and winter she was forced to be Pluto’s consort and earth fell into mourning.
Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Technical Details

Image Size
873 x 1339
File Size
49 KB
Record
1991/2.40
Link to this Item
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1991-sl-2.40/1991_2.40.jpg

Rights and Permissions

Portfolios

Manifest
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1991-SL-2.40:1991_2.40.JPG

Cite this Item

View the Help Guide for more information.

Full citation
"Proserpine; Hiram Powers." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1991-sl-2.40/1991_2.40.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed March 29, 2024.
Do you have questions about this content? Need to report a problem? Please contact us.