J.M.W.Turner:
The Rape of Proserpine, 1839
oil on canvas, 92.6 x 123.7 cm
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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