Terracotta fragment of a votive relief

Unknown

ca. 470–460 BCE · Terracotta · Greek and Roman Art

Hades abducting Persephone When Hades, the god of the underworld, carried Persephone to his kingdom of the dead, Demeter, her mother, brought all growth on earth to a standstill until Persephone was allowed to return to the earth for part of each year. Since antiquity, this myth has been understood as an allegory for the seasonal cycle of vegetation.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 470–460 BCE

Medium

Terracotta

Culture

Greek, South Italian, Locrian

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Credit line

Gift of Norbert Schimmel Trust, 1989