Bronzen beeld van de roof van Proserpina, uit de collectie van Christopher Beckett Denison before 1885

This is a bronze sculpture depicting the abduction of Proserpina, from the collection of Christopher Beckett Denison, and created by an anonymous artist. This bronze sculpture is one of many artistic interpretations of a core myth from the classical world, in which the god Pluto kidnaps Proserpina to make her his wife and Queen of the Underworld. The sculpture stages a moment of violent abduction: Pluto, virile and bearded, carries Proserpina in his arms while she struggles, her body twisting away from him. At the base of the sculpture, another female figure reaches up towards Proserpina, seemingly powerless. The story of Proserpina speaks to the ways in which women have been constructed as property. By centering on the moment of abduction, the sculpture highlights male dominance and female struggle. This sculpture acts as a potent reminder of the stories we tell about power, gender, and resistance.