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Jan 28, 2008

Nov 22, 2010

Head of Proserpina

1650– 1700

after Gian Lorenzo Bernini

(Italian, 1598–1680)

Italy, 17th century

Terracotta

Overall: 15.2 x 10.3 cm (6 x 4 1/16 in.)

John L. Severance Fund 1968.101

Location

301 Baroque Sculpture Mezzanine

Description

This work was long thought to be a fragment of a preliminary study for a large-scale marble sculpture by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in Rome depicting Pluto, the god of the underworld, dragging Proserpina away to be his wife. Bernini’s finished studies never had the scrape marks visible on the cheek, indicating another sculptor’s hand. The work was owned by Bernini’s family, and his many studio assistants often copied his work. This terracotta therefore may be by one of the more significant sculptors of this group. The subject conveys fleeting expressions of sadness, fear, and surprise, and would have interested sculptors learning to convey complex emotions.

Inscriptions

Inscription

penciled inscription on neck: "Palazzo Bernini / 1839"

Provenance

Heirs of Gian Lorenzo Bernini (Rome, Italy);

Buseri (Rome, Italy) [sold, Sotheby's, 16 May 1968, no. 103, to Herbert N. Bier);

Herbert N. Bier (London, England), sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1968.

Citations

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 135 archive.org

Simonato, Lucia. Bernini Scultore: Il Difficile Dialogo con la Modernità. Milano: Electa, 2018. Mentioned: p. 127 & p.135 Reproduced: p. 128, fig. 45

Exhibition history

"Mostra de antiche sculture italiane," Studio d'arte Palma, Rome, 1945 (cited by Lavin, 1956)

CMA: "Year in Review for 1968," Bulletin, LVI (January 1969), p. 44, no. 12, repr. p. 4

CMA: "Drawings by Gianlorenzo Bernini from the Museum der Bildenden Kunste, Leipzig, Germany," as circulated by the International Exhibitions Foundation, December 1, 1981-January 17, 1982

Fort Worth, TX: Kimbell Art Museum, The Art of Gian Lorenzo Bernini, April 16-May 16, 1982, cat. 1, p. 17, repr. pp. 16, 18

CMA: Baroque Imagery," cat. 24, pp. 53-54, repr. p. 53

Rome, Italy; Palazzo Venezia (5/20-9/16/99) "Gian Lorenzo Bernini Regista del Barocco" p. 82, no. 27, p. 315, no. 27.

Baroque Imagery. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 6, 1984-January 6, 1985).

Gian Lorenzo Bernini Regista del Barocco. Museo Nazionale del Palazzo di Venezia, Rome, Italy (organizer) (May 20-September 16, 1999).

Cite this page

{{cite web|title=Head of Proserpina|url=https://clevelandart.org/art/1968.101|author=Gian Lorenzo Bernini|year=1650– 1700|access-date=05 December 2023|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

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Head of Proserpina

Head of Proserpina

after Gian Lorenzo Bernini

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