Bernini’s Abduction of Proserpina

Anthony: Today we step inside Salon four of Galleria Borghese in Rome to look at one of the single greatest masterpieces of early Baroque sculpture by John Lorenzo Bernini, The Abduction of Proserpina. It's the story of the seasons and how bewitching a god always has unforeseen consequences. Carved between sixteen twenty one and sixteen twenty two when Bernini was just twenty three years old, this life sized Carrara marble was catches a violent, dramatic climax with unprecedented emotional intensity. But to fully appreciate what stands before you, we have to unravel three intertwining elements. The ancient myth carved into the stone, the artistic technique, and ruthless Papal politics behind its creation. Welcome to Armchair Italy, the show where we explore the art, history, and stories carved into the heart of the Eternal City and Italy beyond. I'm your host, Anthony Capazzoli. The sculpture draws directly from classical mythology detailed in Ovid's Metamorphosis. realm, with an arrow of uncontrol. The tale begins with Venus, anxious to extend her divine influence over the underworld. She orders her son Cupid to strike Pluto, Lord of the Subterranean Realm, with an arrow of uncontrollable love. As Pluto emerges near Lake Petagusa in Sicily, he spots Proserpina, daughter of Cedes or Demeter, goddess of agriculture, gathering violets and lilies with her nymphs. Overcome with passion, Pluto bursts from the earth in a chariot drawn by black horses, seizes Proserpina, and strikes the ground with his trident to tear open a chasm back down to the realm of the dead. Shattered by her daughter's disappearance, Cedes wanders the earth with burning torches. Withholding her blessings from the soil. Crops rot, seeds wither, and a catastrophic famine threatens humanity with extinction. Finally, the river nymph Erithusa reveals that she saw Proserpina sitting as the sorrowful queen of the underworld. Ceres appeals to Jupiter, or Zeus, king of the gods, who agrees Proserpina may return on the strict condition that she hasn't consumed any food in the dead realm. But Pluto, not to be outmaneuvered, offers her a sweet pomegranate, and Proserpina eats six seeds, legally binding her to the underworld. To prevent total human ruin, Jupiter brokers a compromise. For six months of the year, matching the number of seeds consumed, Proserpina resides in the underworld, causing her mother's grief to make the earth turn cold during autumn and winter. For the remaining months, Proserpina returns to the upper world, filling Ceres with joy and bringing spring and summer. Beyond soul. When you stand before Bernini's representation of this myth, he breaks away completely from the static, multi angled spiraling of late Mannerism. Instead, he orchestrates a dynamic, Frozen moment in time. Look closely at these details. Fleshy realism. Bernini transforms stone into yielding skin. Pluto's heavy fingers visibly press into Proserpina's soft thigh, making the flesh dimple realistically under his grip. In my humble opinion, this is one of the world's finest illustrations of what a master in a chisel can create in marble. The realistic touch always leaves me stunned. Emotional contrast. The sculpture pits raw physical strength against desperate resistance. Pluto stands firm and triumphant with his wild beard framing a domineering expression, while Proserpina fights back. pushing her hand into his face with tears streaming down her cheek. Structural ingenuity. To balance the heavy weight of the overhanging figures, Bernini places the three-headed underworld watchdog Cerberus at Pluto's feet. Cerberus acts both as a symbolic threshold guardian and a hidden structural buttress. How did a twenty three year old secure Such a massive commission. Enter Cardinal Scipion Barghese, nephew to Pope Paul V. Scipion was a voracious art collector who recognized Bernini's prodigy during his teenage years. Paul V had even predicted the young artist would become the Michelangelo of his age. Between 1618 and 1625, Scipion commissioned four monumental marble groups for his suburban villa, including the Proserpina. Scipion granted Bernini immense creative freedom, fostering An environment where the artists could push marble beyond traditional known limits. Yet, Proserpina didn't stay in the Borghese collection long. Imagine giving away a statue of this caliber made by the great Bernini. Shortly after its completion in 1622, Scipione gifted the statue to Cardinal Lodovico Ludovisi, nephew of the new Pope Gregory XV, to gain political favor. It remained at the Villa Ludovisi. For centuries until the Italian state acquired it in nineteen eight and returned it to Galleria Borghese, where it sits today. Bernini's dominance only grew under subsequent popes. Pope Urban VIII of Barberini declared it was Rome's great fortune that Bernini lived during his pontificate. He named Bernini Architect of St. Peter's in 1629, where he created the monumental bronze Baldacchino Pope Innocent X of Pamphili. Though, initially favoring rival Francesco Borromini we'll be talking about him and his rivalry with Bernini in future episodes. Innocent X awarded Bernini the commission for the Fountain of Four Rivers in Piazza Navona After Bernini delivered a secret silver model, thus stealing the commission and honor from the great Borromini Pope Alexander VII, a Chigi commissioned Bernini to design the monumental elliptical colonnade enclosing St. Peter's Square Through these alliances, spanning six decades and eight papacies, Bernini shaped the visual identity of Rome. But it all started with the extraordinary burst of genius in his early twenties, capturing love, terror, and the cycle of the seasons in cold marble. Thank you for joining me on Armchair Italy. Until next time, ciao.