Joseph Mallord William Turner British, 1775 - 1851 The Rape of Proserpine, 1839 oil on canvas Overall: 92.6 x 123.7 cm (36 7/16 x 48 11/16 in.) framed: 124.1 x 154.9 x 10.1 cm (48 7/8 x 61 x 4 in.) Gift of Mrs. Watson B. Dickerman 1951.18.1

From the Tour: Constable and Turner — British Landscapes of the Early 1800s
Object 8 of 11

In classical mythology, Pluto, the god of the underworld, abducted the maiden Proserpine to make her his wife and the queen of Hades. Turner, in this entry from the 1839 Royal Academy exhibition, depicted the moment when Pluto’s fiery chariot erupts earthward, burning the meadow and terrifying Proserpine’s attendants. The setting, equally dramatic, is a fantasy based upon the hills, gorges, waterfalls, and ruins at Tivoli, an ancient village near Rome.

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